


everything you hoped for

by acceptabletwig



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: "Jerry Anderson is not a dumbfuck AU", Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dina-centric, F/F, Just Bros Being Hoes, Rare Pairings, Recreational Drug Use, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:22:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 67,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25754281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acceptabletwig/pseuds/acceptabletwig
Summary: The whole town couldn’t seem to stop talking about her coming. The immune girl. The one who brought them the cure. Dina doesn’t know what she thinks about it and she assumes the girl must be insufferable if people always talk about her like that.And the girl is definitely what she expected when Dina finally sees her.ORDina gets the cure several days after her 18th birthday. She is 20 when Ellie moves to Jackson. A canon divergent AU where Ellie reached the Fireflies in Salt Lake, stayed there for four years and shows up in Jackson with her meathead best friend in tow.
Relationships: Abby & Ellie (The Last of Us), Abby/Cat (The Last of Us), Dina & Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us)
Comments: 615
Kudos: 1076





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Gracefully beta'd once again by my gf.  
> My Tumblr user: respectablesentiment

The cure seemed to change so much. 

Dina received the injection several days after her 18th birthday. It was being produced more easily now, in bigger batches, groups slowly making their way to Salt Lake City for their inoculation. It felt like a pilgrimage. It felt sacred.

Hordes still came through, but it felt, sometimes, like they were winning a war. Jackson was growing, and patrols were conducted without the fear of potentially having to ‘put down’ your partner if they’re bitten.

Dina cannot fathom what it must be like for the older generations - those who grew up in a world before the outbreak. This world is all she’s ever known, and watching it change was something special. She wonders if it leaves a bitter taste in their mouth.

She rubs at the brand on her wrist. It had taken almost a year to heal, and it still aches in winter. She cherishes it. It’s a sign of her protection. A sign of her inoculation. She’s one of the now-many who had been vaccinated against the infection. A bite would not turn her.

The brands made sense, and most people carried them with pride. They were a way to make sure everyone vaccinated was accounted for. And the sad souls who had yet to be converted, to receive the blessing, were clearly identifiable.

Bite marks were still scrutinised, blistering as they healed, but the infection wouldn’t take hold. They were reported, and the bitten taken to the isolation rooms for observation.

No chances could be taken to lead an Infected back into Jackson’s walls.

If you didn’t have a brand you were doomed.

\--

The whole town couldn’t seem to stop talking about her coming. The immune girl. The one who brought them the cure. Dina doesn’t know what she thinks about it and she assumes the girl must be insufferable if people always talk about her like that.

And the girl is definitely what she expected when Dina finally sees her.

Broad shoulders, large arms, a pretty face but with discerning eyes , and a mouth is turned down slightly in disgust. A Firefly pendant hangs proudly around her neck.

Dina is near the entrance to the stables chatting with Jesse when she arrives, her voice distantly booming to those in the watchtower. The girl easily jumps down from her horse, absentmindedly letting someone take the horse’s reins while she grimaces at the sight of Jackson.

Dina does not like her.

“That’s her, Dina, come on,” Jesse says excitedly, rushing forward to awkwardly hold out a hand to the woman. “Hi, I’m Jesse, welcome to Jackson,” he says with an easy smile.

She just looks at him blankly.

“Abby, good to see you,” Joel calls as he strides toward the gate. “Where’s my kid?”

“Drawing something stupid,” Abby huffs, but she clasps Joel in a tight hug. “You look older somehow?”

“I look the same as I did two weeks ago,” Joel nods, rolling his eyes. “Did you have to ride ahead of her?”

“I was barely ahead, sign says to identify yourself so I identified myself,” Abby shrugs. “Not my fault she wanted to draw it.” She runs her hand distractedly along the short hair at the side of her head; both sides were shaved and starting to grow out, like she had done it a while ago, and the hair on top of her head was long and tied back in a thick braid.

Dina tries to hide her laugh at Jesse just loitering awkward beside the pair.

“Joel!” She hears a voice call, as another horse gallops through the gates. The girl sitting astride it is smaller, slighter, and it’s only when her feet are firmly on the ground that Dina realises how pretty she is. She’s a solid head shorter than Joel and Abby, and quickly flings herself at Joel. He catches her, squeezing her tightly and lifting her in a huge bear hug.

Dina grins; she hasn’t seen Joel that enthused to see anyone before. 

“Ellie,” Joel says warmly, releasing her now and clasping his shoulder with a steady hand. “Kiddo, am I glad to see you.”

Ellie smiles up at him and Dina _needs_ to speak to her. She can’t tell what colour her eyes are from this distance but they are bright, her shoulder length hair is half pulled back in a low bun, and the way she rocks back and forth in her Converses with excess energy is adorable. 

“Good to finally fucking be here,” she says, her voice sweet and kind of scratchy.

“Jesse,” Joel says, finally noticing him standing there awkwardly. “This is Ellie and Abby, they’re gonna be living here now.”

“For now,” Abby mutters, scuffing her boot on the ground, shooting Ellie a look when the smaller girl knocks into her.

“They’re from Salt Lake City,” Joel continues, ignoring their little scuffle. “Girls, this is Jesse. He’s one of the patrol leaders.”

“Bit young to be a leader, isn’t he?” Abby asks.

“We’re- we’re like the same age?” Jesse asks, confused.

“I’m Ellie,” Ellie adds unhelpfully. “Please ignore Abby, she was dropped as a baby.”

“I’ll drop you right now, you baby,” Abby threatens, shoving Ellie away and huffing when Ellie laughs at her.

Joel sighs, nodding politely at Jesse and leading the girls away.

Dina’s eyes linger on them as they walk away; Ellie is a vision. A vision wrapped in a red flannel, torn blue jeans and Converses. A vision with a great butt.

She wonders briefly if the two women are together but dismisses the thought quickly. _I’ve got a chance,_ she tells herself.

Jesse eventually comes back over to the entrance to the stables where he had left Dina. “God, she was fucking rude,” he scoffs.

“No, she wasn’t,” Dina defends quickly.

“Dude, the girl with the braid was an asshole, come on,” Jesse huffs.

“Oh,” Dina says lamely. “Yeah, she sucked.” _Of course, he didn’t mean Ellie._

“The other one was cute though,” Jesse smiles at her. “I’m gonna ask her out.”

“The other one was definitely gay,” Dina says with a grin. “You’d have better luck with the asshole.”

“Why do you think she was gay?”

“Cause I looked at her?” Dina offers with a shrug.

“Not everyone who wears a flannel is gay,” Jesse tells her, pointedly looking at the flannel wrapped around Dina’s waist. “She could be bi or something.”

“But she’s not, she’s a lesbian,” Dina says flatly.

“You didn’t even speak to her, you just stared from over here like a loser,” Jesse says, his tone sharp.

“I’m sorry? Did you actually really talk to her?” Dina says teasingly. “Besides, it’s more than just her clothes, it was her posture.”

“Her _posture_ said she was a lesbian?” Jesse laughs. “Really?”

“She was just,” Dina shrugs again. “I don’t know, relaxed in her body, it was hot.”

“She could be hot and also bi?” Jesse asks slowly, like he’s pitching a ground-breaking concept.

“Sorry, Jesse,” Dina laughs, patting his arm gently. “I don’t make the rules, she was born a lesbian, you can’t change her.”

Jesse huffs, “I- you’re full of shit. I’m still gonna fucking talk to her, you could be wrong.”

“Am I ever wrong, though?”

\--

It’s been a week and Dina still hasn’t seen Ellie. She’d seen Abby four times in that span of time but always alone, with a book tucked under her arm and always with a scowl. She didn’t speak to her.

She’d learnt more from other people chatting about the newcomers than from the newcomers themselves.

“I heard her bite was on her arm, but she’s always in sleeves.” She’d heard Brodie say on patrol one day. He had a bite himself on his shoulder, and stubbornly wore sleeveless shirts well into autumn to show it off. The brands were a source of reverence, and while fresh bites were treated with unyielding suspicion, healed bites were almost seen as a sign of strength. Often those who had them went to great lengths to display them, but Dina thinks they’re gross. Fully healed but jagged and lined with blisters. “Do you reckon hers healed differently?” He had asked Mitchell, Dina listening absently.

She wonders sometimes if she’d think differently if her mother hadn’t been bitten. It was years before the cure, years before she and Talia had fought their way to Jackson. Dina had been twelve and horrified, and Talia was sixteen and resigned.

Talia had been bitten as well, later, much later, on her second patrol shift after they arrived. Her brand had still been fresh and healing, a requirement to be allowed out on patrol shifts. Talia had been twenty-one and shaken by the ordeal, retreating to the farming rotation for several months before braving patrols again. It was on her leg, and she still never wears shorts. Dina had sobbed for days after it happened, waking in the middle of the night to check on Talia religiously for months. As though the cure might have failed her.

Talia had tried patrols again for some time but didn’t stick with it.

“Dude, if I was the OG who invented the fucking cure, I would never wear sleeves again,” Brodie continued loudly.

“You don’t wear sleeves now,” Dina mutters to herself quietly, flushing when Mitchell cackles beside her.

“Also, I don’t think she invented the cure, like, she was a kid when she got bitten,” Mitchell laughs. “And Joel was the one who took her from Boston to the Fireflies. So, it would have been some fucking doctor there.”

“An immunologist or something,” Dina nods.

\--

“So… I tried to talk to Ellie today,” Jesse says that night. They’re at the diner, halfway through a meal, and Dina almost chokes on her beer.

“You saw her?” She asks incredulously.

“Yeah, caught up with her as she was leaving Joel’s house,” Jesse said with a bashful smile. “Thought I could walk with her and didn’t realise that she _literally_ lives in the house across the road and she was walking like twenty fucking metres.”

“So you had like half a minute to shoot your shot,” Dina says with a grin. _No way he got anywhere._ “How’d that go for you?”

“She’s fucking quiet,” Jesse huffs. “Barely said anything, and when she walked up to the other house the scary chick came out, so I legged it.”

“I can’t believe you’re scared of Abby,” Dina laughs, taking another sip of her beer before returning to her burger.

“I’m sorry,” Jesse says playfully. “Are you _not_ scared of Abby?” He laughs, “She could fucking throw you across this room. Have you seen her arms?”

“Her arms are kinda hard to miss, so yeah, I’ve seen them. I’m just,” she shrugs, “Not a baby.”

\--

When Dina finally sees Ellie again, it’s not what she imagined.

Ellie is sitting under a tree in the middle of town, back pressed solidly against it, legs crossed and her head down. She’s reading a comic and entirely consumed by it. Her hair is down, covering her face, and Dina almost doesn’t realise it’s her. She looks adorable and soft, wrapped in a loose dark grey flannel shirt with her hands fisted in the sleeve cuffs.

Dina is three steps closer to her before she notices that Abby is there. Of course Abby is there.

Abby is sitting beside Ellie, clearly in view, sitting back against the same tree, her legs splayed out in front of her, engrossed in a novel - ‘City of Thieves’ Dina can read, when she squints.

She hesitates for a second before thinking about her conversation with Jesse. _I’m not a baby._

“Hey,” Dina calls as she approaches. Ellie looks up but Abby doesn’t lift her gaze. _Good._

“Hi?” Ellie asks softly, face crinkled slightly in confusion as she looks up at Dina. Dina can see her freckles now, scattered across her cheeks, a healed scar through one eyebrow, and beautiful green eyes.

Dina loses herself for a second staring at Ellie.

“Can we help you?” Abby drawls, flipping a page in her book. Dina flushes. _How long did I just stand here?_

“I’m Dina,” she says, forcing her voice to sound bright and easy, hating the nerves flickering in her stomach. “I just wanted to, um, to introduce myself. You’re Ellie, right?”

“Yeah,” Ellie grins, lazily she holds a hand up to Dina, which Dina shakes gently with a laugh. She doesn’t say anything more, relaxed and seemingly a bit spaced out.

Dina fumbles for something else to say. “Uh, if you-” She shrugs, “If you ever need someone to show you around town, let me know.”

Ellie nods dumbly, “Thanks, that’s _so_ nice.” Dina can’t tell if she’s being sincere or sarcastic.

“Okay, well,” Dina rubs the back of her neck, feeling awkward with how little Ellie is offering. “I’ll leave you to it then.”

She’s four steps away before she hears Abby’s low voice behind her, “Yeah, you do that.”

\--

“Did you see Joel yelling at Ellie today?”

Dina’s ears prick up at the familiar name, pausing to listen intently outside the butcher.

“Apparently those two new kids brought a _lot_ of weed with them,” she can hear Carl laughing, a portly man who Dina knows smokes a bit himself.

“Good for them.”

She shakes her head as she moves on to the clinic. _That explains more than it doesn’t._

\--

Ellie is the one to approach Dina next. Dina is on her way to the general store after her shift at the clinic, mentally running through her grocery list. It was her turn to cook for Talia and herself that night.

“Hey!” Dina hears a voice call out, and when she turns she sees Ellie jogging to catch up with her. “It was Dina, right?”

“Yeah,” Dina says. “How’s it going?”

“Good, yeah,” Ellie says sheepishly. “I- I wanted to apologise for the other day. I was,” she flushes. “A bit of a space cadet and uh,” she runs her hand through her hair. “I don’t remember what I said to you, but um, I don’t know, I thought I’d say hi again and apologise.”

Dina grins, “Apologise, huh?”

“Yeah, I probably said something dumb or maybe I just didn’t fucking talk,” Ellie laughs; her cheeks are pink now and it makes the freckles stand out more somehow. Dina feels smitten.

“Oh yeah, you were a total weirdo,” Dina says playfully, grinning as Ellie’s eyes widen in concern.

“Fuck,” she hears Ellie mutter quietly to herself.

“You can buy me a drink, though,” Dina offers. “To make up for it?”

“Uh, yeah,” Ellie agrees easily before frowning. “I don’t have any Jackson money, though.”

“How about I buy you a drink instead?” Dina says.

Ellie frowns, “That- that doesn’t make any sense if I’m making it up to you.”

“Don’t think about it too hard,” Dina says with a smile. “Tomorrow night? At the diner?”

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Ellie replies, still looking a bit lost. “I’d like that,” she says with a genuine smile. Dina can feel her stomach flip flopping at the sight of it.

“Cool, I’ll see you at like seven?”

Ellie nods excitedly, before jogging back over to Joel, who Dina realises was watching them from the other side of the street.

\--

Dina is nervous later when she waits at the bar. She had been tempted all evening to go to Ellie’s and walk with her over, but she couldn’t think of a single excuse that sounded plausible about why she would be there, _and what if Ellie wasn’t coming from home, and would it seem creepy?_

She huffed, fiddling with her sleeves and looking longingly at the bar. _You can’t order yourself a beer right before she arrives, just chill. You’re hot, she’s just a cute stoner, you got this._

“Hey,” Ellie says nervously, smiling when Dina turns and meets her eyes. She’s wearing a wrinkled long sleeve grey shirt over black jeans, and Dina can see the chain of what she presumes is Ellie’s Firefly pendant where it disappears under her collar. 

“Hey, Freckles,” Dina smiles. “What will you have to drink?”

“Freckles?” Ellie mumbles softly, so quietly that Dina almost can’t hear the words. Dina smirks, watching the blush settle on Ellie’s cheeks, before Ellie replies, “Uh, just a beer. Any beer?”

“You got it,” Dina says. “Meet me at the booth?” She gestures to the last remaining booth, empty in the corner and leaves Ellie to order from the bar.

By the time she has finished waiting and turns back, a beer in each hand, Abby is there.

_Why the fuck is Abby here?_

Dina tries to hide her grimace, walking over to the booth where a disgruntled Ellie and a smirking Abby now sit. They are sitting across from each other, Abby lounging back against the leather seat, arms propped up and spread out across the back of the bench. She looks like she’s both actively trying to take up enough space for three people and is oblivious to it.

Ellie is whispering to her, blush deeper now, and she’s fidgeting with her hands in her lap.

_Just be polite, Dina._

“Here you go,” Dina says, holding out the beer to Ellie as she slides into the booth next to her.

As Ellie reaches for the drink, Abby grabs at it quickly, and it sloshes slightly on the table as Dina tightens her grip. The two girls look at each other for a tense moment before Ellie sighs and almost wrestles it from their grasp.

“Thank you for the drink,” Ellie says quietly, taking a sip and shifting in her seat awkwardly next to Dina. “It was very nice of you.”

“Happy to,” Dina replies. _This is great_.

“No drink for me?” Abby asks, and when Dina meets her eye, Abby has the audacity to wink at her.

Dina huffs but sips her beer slowly to avoid replying.

Abby tuts at her, and Dina fights the urge to roll her eyes. “The pretty girl is a bit rude,” she says to Ellie, as though Dina isn’t present.

Ellie’s eyes are firmly on her drink, tracing patterns in the condensation on the glass.

“Pretty girl?” Dina scoffs. “Is that meant to insult me?”

“Oh honey, I’m not teasing _you_ ,” Abby replies condescendingly, licking her lips as Dina narrows her eyes.

It feels like Abby waited for Ellie to take a sip before she spoke, leaving Ellie to splutter and wipe at the beer on her chin.

“You good?” Dina asks her softly, turning in her seat to ignore Abby, and patting Ellie’s back reassuringly.

“Y-yeah,” Ellie says, stuck in a coughing fit.

“Whatever, have fun, losers,” Abby laughs, sliding out of the booth and leaving to presumably bother someone else.

“She’s a bit of an asshole, huh?” Dina asks, her hand rubbing circles on Ellie’s back.

“Yeah, you have no idea,” Ellie mutters, rubbing at her face.

Dina leaves her hand on Ellie’s back for longer than she needs to, only retracting it when Ellie takes another sip of her beer, face now bright red.

“So, um, how are you?” Ellie asks awkwardly.

“I’m doing pretty good,” Dina laughs, shifting in the bench seat to tuck her legs under her, her body now facing Ellie properly. “I heard on the grapevine that you got in trouble for smoking with Joel.”

“It wasn’t really because of the pot,” Ellie grimaces.

Dina raises an eyebrow.

“He told me I need to start getting out more and meet new people,” Ellie huffs. “I’ve been hanging out with him since I got to town, and now that he’s going back on patrol, he wants me to start doing shit,” she continues, rolling her eyes.

“So, you decided to get high and just read outside?” 

“I mean, technically,” Ellie smirks. “I did, kinda, meet someone new?”

“Oh yeah, were they nice?” Dina teases.

“Can’t tell yet,” Ellie says slyly, squinting at Dina’s face.

“You’ll have to report back to me,” Dina murmurs.

They smile at each other stupidly, and Dina takes a healthy sip of her beer, licking her lips as she looks at Ellie. _I reckon she likes me._

“You’re pretty cute,” Dina says, and she manages to keep her voice calm and aloof.

Ellie’s eyes widen, and her lips move but she doesn’t manage to respond. _Seems like it’s mutual._

Dina grins into her next sip, “So, you’re from Salt Lake?”

Ellie nods eagerly, latching onto the new subject. “Yeah, I mean, Boston originally, but Salt Lake, yeah.”

Dina laughs, “Joel’s been here for a while, why the sudden move?”

“I’ve been wanting to come for ages, they just wouldn’t let me go.”

“They?” Dina asks.

“Yeah,” Ellie sighs, looking tense. “The Fireflies.”

Dina nods, thinking, _aren’t you a Firefly?_ She looks at the chain sitting on Ellie’s neck, before her eyes drop to Ellie’s hands, fidgeting with her sleeves. “Well,” Dina smiles. “I’m glad you’re here now. I could use another person to annoy.”

Ellie smiles back, relaxing at Dina’s words. “Where are you from?”

\--

They chat for some time, Ellie is quiet but eager in her questions. Their glasses sit empty beside them, neglected as Dina shares a glossy overview of her travels through New Mexico and her time in Jackson.

At some point Dina goes to get them their third round of drinks, and Abby returns not long after.

“Having fun?” She asks Ellie as she drops into the other side of the booth.

“Yeah,” Ellie says pointedly. They stare at each other for several long moments, Dina watching on, feeling a bit lost as they seemingly communicate silently.

Abby raises an eyebrow, Ellie shakes her head, Abby’s eyes flick over toward Dina and back before Ellie bows her head. Abby huffs, before leaning over to take Ellie’s glass and finish off half of her drink before Ellie can pry it out of her hands.

“See you later,” Abby grits out, giving Dina a sharp look before standing to leave.

“What was that about?” Dina asks, watching as Abby practically stomps out of the diner.

“She wanted me to go home with her,” Ellie replies.

“Ah,” Dina nods, turning back to Ellie. “You’re a taken woman, I should have known,” she jokes.

Ellie rolls her eyes and scoffs. “She’s just protective.”

Dina hums, “You’ve been friends for a while I imagine?”

“Yeah,” Ellie shrugs. She looks at Dina carefully before continuing, “Abby was… she was basically in charge of babysitting me when I first arrived in Salt Lake.”

“Ahh,” Dina nods. “That explains a bit of the dynamic.”

Ellie rubs at her right forearm, eyes a bit downcast. “Sorry about that, she doesn’t really trust new people around me,” she mutters. “I, uh, people have pushed me before for details about, like…” She huffs. “About shit I don’t want to talk about.”

Dina nods, reaching out to lay a reassuring hand on Ellie’s arm. “I’m glad you’ve got someone like that in your corner,” she says with a soft smile. She retracts her hand quickly, aware of how Ellie had stiffened under her touch. “If anyone bothers you in Jackson, let me know,” she adds. “I’ll take care of it.”

Ellie smiles, finishing her drink and knocking her shoulder against Dina’s. “Thank you.”

“Come on,” Dina says, sliding out of the booth and stretching her legs. “I’ll walk you home.”

The walk is mostly silent, their hands brush several times and if Dina hadn’t noticed Ellie tense up before when touched, she would have taken her hand.

Instead, she thinks about it for the whole walk and stuffs her hands in her pockets. Dina says good night at the bottom step of Ellie’s porch.

Dina smiles the whole way home. 

\--

Dina sees Ellie on her way to her shift at the clinic the next morning. Ellie is standing with her back to her, her hair in a ponytail tucked through a baseball cap, and she’s wearing blue jeans so tight that Dina almost runs into Mrs Henderson. 

She apologises absently, looking back over to Ellie and considering going over to say hello.

Ellie stands on the other side of the street, outside the gate leading to the back fields. Maria seemed to be introducing Ellie and Abby to an eager Samantha Lark. Lark is a kind woman, brash and bright, and had retired from patrols the day she had been bitten two summers ago. She was maternal and protective, and was often delegated the role of taking on new community members and showing them the ropes starting with the farming rotation. She had taken Dina under her wing not that long ago. 

Dina did not envy what Ellie had ahead of her.

Dina probably stares for a bit too long, smiling shyly when Ellie turns and meets her eyes. She can feel her cheeks turn a bit pink, waving back to Ellie before continuing on to the clinic for her shift.

\--

“So…” Jesse says slowly, drawing out the word and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Dina. Her shift has just finished at the clinic and he finds her as she’s walking home. 

“Can I help you?” Dina laughs. 

“I heard you had a date last night with the new girl,” Jesse says brightly, knocking his shoulder against Dina’s softly as he falls in step with her. 

“It wasn’t a date, we had drinks.”

“Did you pay?”

“Yes, but she doesn’t have Jackson money yet. Trust me, I’ll let her know when it is a date.”

“So a date is coming?”

“Hopefully,” Dina says, a smile on her lips.

“How did you even manage to do it? She hasn’t really spoken to anyone and that’s not for a lack of trying,” Jesse laughs. “I was on the east watchtower today with Brodie and he talked my ear off about how he wanted to talk to her at the diner last night but between you next to her and Abby at the bar - he was too chicken-shit.”

“Did he actually use the word chicken-shit?” Dina cackles. 

“I’m paraphrasing here.” 

“I don’t know, I just said hey the other day and left her alone,” Dina shrugs. “She talked to me after that.”

Jesse huffs.

\--

By the time Dina leaves the town’s small library the following day her eyes are tired. She had gone to collect a couple more books and found herself wasting most of her day off reading in the comfy armchair in the back. 

“Dude, come on, you have to tell me about it,” she hears a man’s voice say from around the corner. Dina rolls her eyes as she approaches, placing it from tone alone to be Anthony Graves. 

Tony was both whiny and reckless; he was terrified of Infected and useless in a fight, yet vain and somehow eager to be bitten. He had had a brief tryst with Brodie the previous winter and Brodie had told Dina once in confidence that he had a biting kink which she thought made Tony even more unlikeable. 

“At least let me see the bite,” he insists, as Dina rounds the corner. 

She feels immediately hot with anger when she sees that he’s talking to Ellie and that he’s reaching out to grab her arm. She can’t see Ellie’s face but her shoulders are curved in and Dina aches at the thought of her being upset. Dina rushes forward almost blindly.

Ellie plucks his hand out of the air as soon as he moves to grab her, her hand tightly grasping his wrist and twisting his arm behind his back as he yelps. “Yeah, don’t fucking touch me,” Ellie spits at him, her voice is low and rough, catching Dina off guard. She stills, probably ten paces away. 

Ellie waits for his agreement before stalking off quickly, head low, muttering to herself. She didn’t see Dina from her angle, and leaves the street before Dina snaps out of her daze. 

_Oh,_ Dina blinks. _Guess there’s more to her than I thought_. 

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, if you've read my other stories then you're aware this is a different type of vibe. I have had a very very good time working on this story and have a lot of very interesting thoughts and dynamics that I'm looking forward to sharing with you.  
> I hope you liked it, let me know what you think :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gracefully beta'd once again by my gf.  
> My Tumblr user: respectablesentiment

“So apparently,  _ both  _ of the new people are assholes,” Brodie says a couple of days later, on a two-day scouting patrol with Dina and Mateo. 

Dina rolls her eyes. 

“Really?” Mateo asks curiously. He was young and new to patrols, wide-eyed and cautious, brand still wrapped in gauze; he consumed any and all information with an eagerness that Dina often admired. 

“I mean…” Brodie squints at Dina, frowning as though dissatisfied. “Probably not, Tony had some choice words but he’s not the best source for information.”

“Oh,” Mateo says lamely, returning his gaze to the forest around them.

“Tony isn’t the best for anything,” Dina mutters, thoughts souring at his actions days prior. 

“He’s a pretty good lay though,” Brodie offers. 

“I’ll pass,” Dina laughs. The group falls back into comfortable silence for another stretch of the road, doing the required sweep of the old supermarket before climbing back onto the horses and heading further along the route. 

Patrols these days often felt mundane; the threat of hunters or Infected along the route was still present, but less likely to eventuate. Bolstered by the cure, the Jackson community had taken on additional patrols. Paired patrols swept Jackson’s immediate surrounds daily, while larger groups of three or four would go further. The teams would disappear for several days, never longer than a week at first, and push in one particular direction to attempt to clear out more areas beyond the old county borders. The scouting patrols only ran in the warmer months, and were discontinued promptly each winter when the hordes were more likely to come through. 

Jackson had been expanding. The town’s walls were still the same, but additional fences and guard towers which remained empty for now had been erected outside the walls. The additional land claimed and fenced in allowed them to increase the difficulty for hordes to reach the town, and also allowed them to repair or erect new houses with the hope to continue expanding their community in the future. 

Dina thought it was beautiful, that she’d been able to see so many changes in the four years she’d been in Jackson. She felt so incredibly lucky that they had managed to find it; a pair on patrol had found her and Talia by chance, running from hunters not far from Hoback Pass. It felt like sheer dumb luck - Talia had kept them moving, no real destination in mind, and hadn’t been able to fathom something like Jackson existing. 

Dina barely even remembers how they had been found, only recalling her fear and how calm Lark was. She couldn’t remember who the other person with her was, just how Lark had led her to the office by the main gate and brought her tea while she was checked for bite marks and had her wounds patched. 

Maria had interrogated her, stern and intimidating, and Lark had brought her food when she was left waiting afterwards. 

Talia and Dina spent the first two weeks in Jackson sleeping in Lark’s spare room. Her partner had been nice as well; Irene was always smiling, enamoured with Lark, and had a voice that reminded Dina of honey. It made her chest feel warm to watch them interact with each other. Dina had been young and other than her own family, she hadn’t seen unconditional love like that before. 

She was almost disappointed when Maria had shown her and Talia their new home. She thought she wouldn’t see Irene or Lark as much anymore but they’d been a constant throughout her time in Jackson. Lark had a green thumb and split her time between the farm rotation and patrols; she had been one of the first to receive the cure in Jackson. 

Jackson had been lucky. It wasn’t far from Salt Lake and after the Fireflies had taken care of their own group they had offered injections to Jackson. Tommy’s brother never said much but he had split his time between Jackson and Salt Lake for the year prior to the cure, and it didn’t take long for people to make the connection between him and the Fireflies’ generosity.

Not everyone in Jackson had been inoculated yet. Production had been difficult in a world like this, availability ebbed and flowed, and fighters were always prioritised. Talia had gotten the cure at twenty-one and was bitten within two weeks. Lark had been there, taking care of her, bringing her home, comforting Dina. 

Lark had made it much longer after receiving the cure, lasting two more years on patrol, the latter half showing Dina the ropes and teaching her the routes. Dina knows Lark had enjoyed the open space outside the town, the view from the mountains, liked to follow the light with her eyes. She isn’t sure if Lark made the decision to retire herself, or if Irene had begged her to. The cure gave them a second chance, and most people did not take it lightly. 

Lark had retired to the fields and Talia, although young, had retired to the classroom. They both seemed better for it. It was interesting to see in some ways, how a bite, although unable to ‘turn’ you, still changed people so significantly. 

“Ugh, it’s been so long since I got laid,” Brodie whines. 

_ And some people never change _ , Dina thinks, eyeing the healed bite mark on Brodie’s upper arm. 

“Has anyone here gotten any action?” Brodie asks. 

Mateo is watching Brodie tiredly, already in his sleeping bag. Mateo never ate dinner, instead eating throughout the day. As soon as they settled in to camp he would put himself to bed and exist quietly until he fell asleep. 

They’re in an abandoned motel, camped out in a back room off from the conference room. Dina kicks her boots off, reclining on the armchair she had lugged up from the downstairs foyer on their previous scouting patrol into this region. She pulls the sandwiches out of her pack that Talia had made for her that morning. 

“It’s a shame that Tony is such a dropkick, I think he’s probably the one person who’s gotten the immune girl to talk,” Brodie says teasingly, changing the topic when no one responds and sitting on the floor, propped up against the wall across from Dina. 

“Probably,” Dina says dryly, focusing on her food. 

Brodie huffs, “If only one of us had talked to her…” 

Dina hums noncommittally, grimacing at the sight of the crustless sandwiches Talia had packed for her.  _ Why the fuck does she keep cutting off the crusts?  _ She frowns, but bites into the roast beef sandwich anyway.

“Like, if one of us had, like, gone on a date with her?” Brodie continues. “Like to the diner? In public, where everyone saw and talked about it?”

_ Does Talia cut the crusts off because she knows it annoys me?  _ Dina thinks as she chews.  _ She keeps doing it. It’s a waste of bread. Does she eat the crusts?  _

“Like if some useless annoying woman went to the diner, bought the new girl drinks and talked to her for several hours,” Brodie huffs. “And then told her absolute  _ favourite  _ person  _ all _ about it, because she’s so amazing...”

Dina looks at him now, taking a sip from her water bottle and squinting at him like she’s confused. 

“Wouldn’t that be so neat?” Brodie asks, his smile is forced and polite, but his frustration is visible on his face. 

“Yeah, that would be pretty neat,” Dina drawls. 

“I hate you,” Brodie says flatly. 

Dina can hear Mateo snickering in the corner. She grins and stuffs the last portion of the sandwich in her mouth. 

“Tell me something,” Brodie whines. 

“Her name is Ellie,” Dina mumbles, mouth full of food. 

Brodie throws his water bottle at her, or attempts to; it hits the wall beside her. 

“She came from Salt Lake,” Dina offers, grinning.“She’s friends with Abby.”

Brodie groans, his face falling into his hands. 

\--

Dina sees Ellie most mornings that week, out in the fields working closely with Abby or Lark, always in a long sleeve shirt and a baseball cap. Ellie had noticed her once or twice, always waving back politely. 

Dina hasn’t really spoken to her since they had drinks; she wanted to, she had planned to, but she only ever sees Ellie working in the distance on her way to work and never around town.  _ At some point I need to just go to her house _ , she thinks. 

Dina is working in the clinic today, a standard shift that runs from morning until evening. Ellie would have been in the fields early this morning and would be home before Dina finished for the day.  _ I’ll just go and check in _ . 

She doesn’t end up needing to. At around 3 that afternoon, there’s a soft knock on the door, and then the subject of her thoughts is in front of her. 

“Ellie, hey,” Dina smiles. 

“Oh, hi,” Ellie says, surprised to see her here. Ellie’s hair is in a messy bun, her face is dirty, flushed from exertion, and she smells of sweat and soil.

“How can I help you? Are you alright?” 

“I, uh, I misplaced my gloves,” Ellie says bashfully. Dina finds it hard to compare this slightly shy girl to the confident one who had more than effectively cowed Tony earlier in the week. 

“Okay?” Dina laughs. “I’m sure Lark could give you another set.”

“Yeah, I, uh, I asked for another pair,” Ellie nods. “She gave me some.”

Dina squints at her. Ellie’s eyes are low, a blush growing on her cheeks under Dina’s scrutiny. “I’m not sure what you need, Ellie. Can you tell me?” Dina asks politely. 

“I waited a bit too long to ask,” Ellie grimaces, holding up her hands, palms up. 

Dina hisses softly at the sight of the blisters on Ellie’s hands. They are red and raw, and painful to look at. “Yikes,” Dina says plainly, fighting the urge to take Ellie’s hands and instead preparing a basin with lukewarm water and a gentle soap. 

“Yeahhh,” Ellie says. “She wasn’t impressed. I, uh, spend the day digging and turning over the dirt in the far field to be seeded, and uh, I only asked about it at the end of the day.”

“She would’ve loved that,” Dina grins, taking Ellie’s hands gently and washing them in the water. “Sorry,” she offers softly as Ellie tenses. 

“Not my brightest moment,” Ellie mutters. 

“How the fuck did you manage to get blisters this bad? You know you could have just stopped working earlier.”

Ellie shrugs, “Didn’t really feel it.” 

“New to manual labour?” Dina asks gently. 

Ellie ducks her head. “Grew up in a QZ. I fought when I travelled but that’s different.” She huffs, blowing a loose strand of hair out of her eyes, “The Fireflies never really let me do anything. I, uh, I just wanted to start contributing here.”

Dina frowns, patting Ellie’s hands dry softly with a clean cloth. “I hope you know your hands need to heal before you can continue working.” 

“Yeah, Lark told me,” Ellie murmurs, watching as Dina carefully disinfects the blisters with iodine. 

“It’s one way to get out of work,” Dina jokes. 

“No, no-” Ellie splutters.

“I know, I’m just teasing,” Dina interrupts gently, her thumb rubbing at Ellie’s wrist soothingly. She licks her lips, focusing as she spreads an antibiotic ointment on the wounds. “I haven’t seen you around much.”

“I’ve been hanging out at home a lot outside of work, or at Joel’s,” Ellie says. 

“Well,” Dina says, bandaging Ellie’s palms carefully. “I want to hang out with you, so you either need to be out more in general or I’m gonna start inviting myself over.” 

“You can’t really threaten me with something I’d like,” Ellie replies, voice low, seemingly brave in the moment. 

When Dina looks up, she realises how close their faces are to one another. “Am I something you’d like?” Dina asks slyly.

Ellie huffs, her hands still in Dina’s grasp, but she leans back and Dina can see the tips of her ears turning red.  _ There goes her confidence.  _

“I’ll come ‘round some time,” Dina says with a smile, letting Ellie off the hook. “We can watch a movie or something, hopefully you’ve got something from Salt Lake that I haven’t seen.”

Ellie brightens. She stays silent but her shoulders are more relaxed now. 

“Alright,” Dina says, pulling away from Ellie to pack away her supplies. “You need your hands looked at again a couple more times. The blisters aren’t  _ that  _ bad, but they’ll bother you for a couple of days and should stay bandaged for that time.”

Ellie nods dutifully. 

“You’ll have to come back tomorrow and the next day for some more ointment and the bandages to be changed,” Dina explains. “I’d just give you the supplies but everything is kinda locked down when it’s not single use.” 

“That’s cool, thank you for helping me,” Ellie smiles softly. “I’ll see you around?” 

“Yeah,” Dina smiles, watching as Ellie leaves. 

\--

The next day Dina finds Ellie on her porch after her early shift at the watchtower ends. Ellie is leaning back against the wall, sitting on the porch, legs splayed out in front of her, a lit joint in her bandaged hand. She takes a long, slow hit as Dina walks up the front stairs. 

Pink lips part to blow out smoke as Dina sits next to her silently. Dina watches as Ellie takes another languid drag, eyes tracking the movement in her jaw and throat, as her chest rises smoothly with the inhale and lowers with the exhale.

Ellie licks her lips and offers the joint delicately to Dina, and their fingers brush when Dina takes it between her thumb and forefinger. Ellie grins at her when Dina takes a sizeable hit, their eyes locking as Dina holds it in, exhales without coughing, and smirks.

“How’s it going?” Ellie says, her green eyes tinged slightly red, a lazy smile on her lips. Her head makes a soft thud when she leans back against the wall, taking another drag before offering it to Dina again.

“Pretty good, yourself?” Dina asks, taking another hit. She offers the joint back to Ellie but the other girl shakes her head slowly.

“I’m feeling pretty good, yeah,” Ellie says slowly. Ellie shuffles closer then, pressing herself against Dina, thigh to thigh, shoulder to shoulder. They sit quietly as Dina finishes the joint, Dina’s eyes now on the sunset, but she can feel Ellie watching her. Dina likes Ellie like this, relaxed and close.

Ellie takes the last hit, flicking the roach absently onto the porch and laughing softly.

It’s then that Dina realises they’re holding hands. She doesn’t know when it happened, but Ellie’s hand is warm through the cotton bandage and holding hers softly, resting on Ellie’s upper thigh. She smiles dumbly at the sight, her head fuzzy but not entirely gone.

\--

“Well look at you two losers,” she hears a voice say distantly.  _ Why? _

Abby’s on the porch now, grinning at them and Dina wants her to disappear. She blinks like somehow it’ll change something but Abby’s still stubbornly standing there.  _ Disappear,  _ she thinks, blinking again, but it changes nothing. 

“Having fun?” Abby asks, leaning back against the railing with crossed arms.

“Yeah, man,” Ellie says softly. “We’re bonding.”

Dina laughs and then feels like she can’t stop.

“I’m sure you’ve had a riveting conversation,” Abby says sarcastically. “You’re always so talkative when you’re high, you just don’t stop.”

_ Ellie hasn’t said a word, what is she talking about? _

“We’re,” Ellie falters, she starts to lift their joined hands before frowning and lifting her other hand slowly to rub her face. “We’re having a nice time together,” she manages to say.

Abby’s grin looks almost feral, but Dina tries to ignore her and focus on Ellie.

“Dina is really cool,” Ellie continues, chuckling at her own words.

“Dina should go home now,” Abby says plainly.

Dina frowns.

“Bye, Dina,” Abby says pointedly, her tone overly friendly.

“Bye, Abby,” Dina parrots back, grinning as Ellie laughs.

“We’ve got a movie night planned, dude, come on,” Abby whines. Dina can hear her muttering curses under her breath as she heads inside.

Ellie hums, lifting Dina’s hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. “I should go inside,” she murmurs. “She’s grumpy.”

“She’s always grumpy,” Dina says. She wants to kiss Ellie and for a moment it feels like she does. But she hasn’t, she’s just watching blankly as Ellie stands unsteadily and then pulls Dina to her feet.

“I didn’t tell you this, but she’s fresh from a break up,” Ellie tries to whisper, her voice louder than before. 

“Ahh,” Dina nods. “So she’s not normally like this?”

“No, she’s normally like this,” Ellie laughs. “But I should go, I’ll see you around?” Ellie asks, her smile grows wider when Dina nods at her. “Cool.”

Dina is left on the porch as Ellie heads inside, and slowly makes her way home.

Talia finds her on the couch later, lying down with heavy limbs, grinning at nothing.

\--

Dina doesn’t see Ellie for several days after that, going on a four-day extended scouting patrol with Jesse and Cat that heads north through Yellowstone before zigzagging west through Idaho Falls and heading home to Jackson. 

The trip was quiet and comfortable; the three of them work well as a team and they know it. Cat was insufferable at times, but only when she chose to be. She was as kind as she was brilliant, almost dripping in ink, and was responsible for cutting almost half the town’s hair. She knew how to get under Dina’s skin and enjoyed doing so; their ongoing friendship was fraught with teasing and dirty jokes and the occasional night spent together. Jackson was a small town, and when they were younger it felt inevitable that they would hook up eventually, so they didn’t bother trying not to. 

“The new girl is pretty hot, hey,” Cat says, as they are in the final stretch of the trip. She eyes Dina with curiosity; Dina makes eye contact briefly before looking away. 

Jesse frowns beside them, “I mean-”

“I hadn’t really paid much attention but damn,” Cat continues. “I could climb her like a tree.” 

Dina huffs, keeping her sight on the tree line. 

“Which- which new girl are you referring to?” Jesse laughs. “Honestly, people never make it clear, at this point it's easier to just use their names.”

“Oh honey, I don’t need to know her name,” Cat responds, voice low, and Dina knows it’s more about teasing her than about Ellie right now. 

“Do you ever stop?” Dina asks tiredly, rubbing at her eyes. 

“For her I’d go all night,” Cat smirks. 

“Can you please just leave it alone?” Dina huffs.

“ _ Babe- _ ,” Cat whines playfully.

“I’m not your babe,” Dina warns. 

“You used to be,” Cat says, her dark eyes glinting in the light. For a moment Dina thinks of their time together, before she shakes her head and clears her thoughts. 

“And I used to fuck Jesse as well,” Dina points out. “The past is in the past.” 

Cat looks at Jesse carefully, assessing him before looking back at Dina. “I was better in bed though, right?”

“Dina,” Jesse says calmly. “Please don’t indulge her, we’re on the home stretch” 

\--

By the time they return to Jackson it is still early in the afternoon. Dina takes a long shower, attempting to wash four days of sweat and grime off her body and out of her hair before the hot water runs out. She leaves as quickly as she can, pressing a kiss to Talia’s cheek on her way out and tying her hair up in a loose bun on the way, conscious of the wet patch it’s left on the back of her shirt. 

She’s eager to see Ellie, probably more than she should be. It’s not her conversation with Cat that echoes in her mind, but the brief words she had shared with Ellie on her way out of town. Ellie had seemed disappointed to hear that she was going on a longer patrol run, and Dina had promised to check in once she had returned. Ellie had shrugged noncommittally, dismissing it like she didn’t really mind, but it felt important to Dina. 

Dina reaches the house quickly, knocking on the door and hoping Ellie is the only one home. Ellie doesn’t take long to answer, smiling at the sight of Dina, and leaning on the doorframe. They look at each other for a long moment, Dina feels a little embarrassed with how quickly she had rushed over, feeling a little bit breathless now looking at Ellie, relaxed, hair falling freely on her shoulders, in a soft white henley with blue sleeves, and some grey shorts.  _ Are those her pyjamas?  _ she thinks. 

“Hey,” Ellie greets. 

“Hey,” Dina says lamely. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Ellie replies, her eyes seem to dip, not meeting Dina’s eyes, and Dina can distantly feel a drop of water sliding down her neck that she wipes at absently. “You just get back to town?” Ellie asks, eyes flicking back up. 

“Mmhmm,” Dina hums. “I was wondering if I could maybe buy you dinner later?” She falters, “At the diner, tonight maybe? I could go for a  _ big  _ burger, I’m always starving after a couple days out of town.” 

“That sounds great, I’m in,” Ellie says quickly, smile broadening. 

They stand there for a couple of moments in silence, Dina fighting the urge to rub the back of her neck, feeling a bit awkward for once. 

“Actually,” Ellie says. “If you’re free now… do you wanna come in and hang out for a bit before dinner?”

“Yeah, I’d love to,” Dina says eagerly. 

“Cool,” Ellie mumbles, moving to the side slightly in the doorway to let Dina enter while holding the door open for her. 

Dina loiters in the entrance. The house is quite small, open plan and not yet entirely unpacked. There’s a couple bookcases set in the corner, and boxes sit on the shelves, clearly labelled with either girls’ name but not yet opened. 

A small kitchen is to her right, a door to a bathroom ajar beside it, and a small dining table sits beside the couch. The room seems to be predominantly centred around the couch, the TV set up against the far wall with several game consoles and a coffee table. A staircase leading to what Dina presumes are bedrooms is at the back, and she wonders whether the rooms upstairs are slightly more put together. 

“So, how are the hands?” Dina asks, focusing back on Ellie. 

Ellie holds her hands out for Dina to inspect, wriggling her fingers and grinning. “Bandage free and mostly healed,” she boasts. 

“Mmmm, not gonna make that mistake again?” Dina laughs, only realising now that she’s holding Ellie’s hands in hers that her sleeves don’t come down as far as normal. It’s a three quarter length sleeve, only covering half her forearm, and it's the first time Dina’s seen this much of her skin. 

They both seem to notice it at the same time, Dina’s eyes travelling from Ellie’s mostly-healed palms to narrow wrists and strong forearms. She registers the edge of a pink patch of skin, perhaps an old burn, peeking out from Ellie’s right sleeve before Dina drops Ellie’s hands like they’re red hot and averts her gaze. 

Ellie is tense, slowly moving her arms closer to herself and stuffing her hands in her pockets. “No, I’m not planning on it,” Ellie says quietly, the mood shifting between them. 

“Sorry,” Dina offers quietly.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ellie says earnestly. “Are you cold? I might just go put on a jumper.”

“Ellie, it’s spring. It’s not cold,” Dina says. “You can just change your shirt to one with longer sleeves, it’s all good, I understand.”

“You understand?” Ellie asks, brow furrowed. 

“I understand enough to know you wear long sleeves all the time,” Dina shrugs. “So you might want to change into a long sleeve shirt if someone comes over and surprises you.” 

Ellie looks at her carefully for a long moment. “I’m good, actually,” she says softly. “You’re right, it isn’t cold.” 

Dina nods, smiling gently as she watches Ellie’s shoulders relax again. “So,” she says slowly, scuffing a shoe absently on the ground. “Must have been a bit of a restless week at home with me away and Abby still working?”

“Oh,” Ellie laughs. “I’ve been busy too, putting in the hours, the work, making strong strides…” Her tone is teasing, eyes light, and she walks backwards toward the couch behind her.

“Oh yeah, what with?” 

“Some very important work,” Ellie says, she tries to keep her tone serious, face neutral, but the facade cracks as soon as she picks up the PlayStation controller from its place on the couch. 

Dina cackles, watching as the screen flickers back to life as Ellie resumes some racing game. 

“Come on, there’s a multiplayer setting,” Ellie calls. She’s sitting on the edge of the cushion, feet flat on the ground, shoulders hunched toward and eyes on the screen as she resumes whatever level she had been playing before Dina interrupted. “I just wanna finish this race and I’ll show you.”

“How does this not hurt your hands?” Dina mutters as she joins Ellie on the couch, kicking her shoes off and tucking her legs up under her. She watches Ellie play, surprised at the missile she seems to use to take out an opponent before winning the race. 

“Okay, so are you familiar with Jak and Daxter at all?” Ellie asks excitedly, returning to the main menu and looking at Dina eagerly. 

“Never heard of it,” Dina laughs. “I know that’s a PS3 but I haven’t really played one either. How about you do a couple more races and tell me about it, and then I’ll try multiplayer?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I wanna hear about it, just start at the beginning.”

“Okay, so like, this is actually the  _ fourth  _ game,” Ellie begins to explain, turning back to the menu and selecting a ‘Death Match’ before continuing. “You and your friends have been poisoned and now you gotta win this big racing tournament to get the antidote.”

Dina frowns. “Why- why would they poison you?”

“It’s a long story, basically like,” Ellie huffs, trying to find her words while swearing as her racing kart is blown up by a ball of electrical energy. “A previous game’s villain dies and he poisoned you at his wake.”

“Ellie,” Dina says teasingly, bumping her shoulder against Ellie’s gently. “This doesn’t sound like the beginning.” 

“Are you sure you wanna know? There’s a few games, it was pretty fucking wild,” Ellie laughs. 

“You seem to like it, I wanna hear it, come on.”

“Okay,” Ellie says, her cheeks a bit pink with Dina’s eyes on her. “So basically it starts when Jak’s little brother falls into a pit of ‘dark eco’ and is turned into this weird half weasel, half otter.”

Dina blinks.  _ This sounds ridiculous,  _ she thinks. “Go on,” is what she says. 

\--

“I like hearing you talk about this stuff,” Dina says later. She’s on her third race with Ellie now, focused on trying to reverse and turn her kart around to head in the right direction. “You’re pretty quiet in general, especially when you smoke,” Dina says thoughtfully. “Which is okay, of course, but it’s really nice to hear you geek out over something.”

“You should see me when I’m drunk,” Ellie grins. “Abby says I don’t shut up.” They both know Ellie has just lapped Dina on the screen but neither of them address it.

Dina smiles wryly, “I had a nice time the other day, just being quiet with some good bud and good company. You seemed relaxed, comfortable.”

“It takes me a bit to get used to people,” Ellie says, shrugging as she focuses on the game. “I do feel comfortable with you though.” 

“Good,” Dina nods, frowning as her kart gets stuck in a corner. “You’d let me know if I ever make you uncomfortable, right?”

“You don’t make me uncomfortable,” Ellie mutters, and when Dina looks at her quickly, she can see Ellie biting her lip. “Sometimes nervous, not uncomfortable.”

“Nervous, huh?” Dina asks teasingly, voice low. 

“You’re flirty,” Ellie huffs. 

“Can you blame me?” 

Ellie doesn’t respond, just glances over to meet Dina’s eyes questioningly. She holds her gaze for a second, brow furrowed, before turning back to the game and snorting at the sight of Dina’s kart on the screen, unmoving and being lapped by a swarm of racers. 

“I think you’re cute,” Dina adds, biting her lip and returning to the game. 

“Really?” Ellie asks, eyes not moving from the screen. 

“I mean… yeah? Like dude, I think you’re hot as fuck but I’m trying to be polite about it,” Dina laughs. 

Ellie’s face is red, eyebrows raised and lips pressed together firmly, as she finishes the race, placing in first with Dina two laps behind. She turns to Dina. “There you go, making me feel nervous again,” Ellie says softly. 

Dina drops the controller, giving up on the pretense of playing the game. “You’ve got nothing to be nervous about,” Dina replies, holding her gaze. 

“Don’t I?” Ellie asks, leaning in slightly closer. 

“I think my intentions are clear,” Dina replies, eyes flicking down to Ellie’s lips and back to her eyes. 

Ellie hums, pulling back slightly, not very far, enough for Dina to drop her gaze and look back at the screen. The race had concluded, the game clearly giving up on her ability to finish the race and placing her last for the third time. 

“I clearly wanted to embarrass myself playing a video game,” Dina says wryly, keeping her eyes forward, trying to ignore her heart racing in her chest. “Wanna go again?”

\--

Abby finds them later, not long after Dina celebrates coming 5th in a race, her best result yet.

“Figures,” Abby mutters, walking past them to head upstairs. 

Dina doesn’t pay her any attention until she reappears not long after. She comes back downstairs, stomping heavily and tucking a button up shirt unevenly into her jeans. The sleeves are short, hugging her broad shoulders, and the cuffs seem to strain against her biceps. Her hair had been recently reshaved, clipped shorter on the sides again, and Dina laughs when Ellie wolf whistles at her. 

“Looooking  _ fresh _ ,” Ellie leers jokingly. 

“Hairdresser’s back in town,” Abby says dismissively, tugging on the boots beside the front door. 

“You dressing up for someone?” Dina asks, raising an eyebrow. 

“I have a not-date date,” Abby replies. 

“A not-date date?” Dina laughs. 

Ellie bumps her shoulder against Dina’s. “Means she’s gonna go get laid.”

“Oooh,” Dina teases. “Who’s the lucky person?” 

“Uhhh,” Abby frowns, straightening and rubbing her neck as she thinks. “Fuck.”

“Dude,” Ellie grins. “Seriously?”

Abby flails a hand uselessly in the air. “Blonde, fit,” she shrugs. “Wears a lot of florals, kinda short.”

“Everyone is short compared to you,” Dina mutters. 

Ellie squints thoughtfully, “Laura?”

“Maybe? I don’t know,” Abby huffs. “I’ll tell you later, if I find out.”

They giggle when the door shuts behind Abby, Ellie almost falling on Dina in her amusement. . 

“If she finds out?” Dina groans, jostling Ellie back. “What the fuck?”

\--

Dina loses several more races before her stomach starts to growl. She waits on the couch, idly flipping through game cases, while Ellie runs upstairs to get changed into a shirt with longer sleeves and jeans. The early evening light is golden as they walk to the diner, not holding hands but close enough that it would look like they were if spotted from a distance.

Dina orders her usual burger before turning questioningly to Ellie, who shakes her head and grins, proudly pulling a handful of coins stamped with the Jackson ‘J’ from her pocket. 

“I got it this time,” Ellie says quickly. She orders the same burger as Dina, plus two beers, and tries to hand over the whole handful of coins to Rachel.

“Bit of a generous tip,” Dina murmurs, and Ellie blushes furiously as a grinning Rachel returns all but five of the coins to Ellie’s outstretched hand.

“Shut up,” Ellie hisses. “I’ve never properly  _ bought _ something before.”

“It takes getting used to,” Rachel tells her kindly. “I’ll bring the food out, it shouldn’t take long.”

They collect their drinks and find a seat together at one of the smaller tables squished into the back corner of the diner. Ellie drums her fingers absently on the table as they wait and the food comes out quickly, the burgers dropped off with an easy smile and received with a quiet thanks. 

“I would say I’ve opened up to you today,” Ellie says teasingly as Dina takes a bite of her burger. “Wouldn’t you say so?”

Dina nods, chewing, and narrows her eyes suspiciously at Ellie. 

“I think I deserve some  _ information  _ as well.”

“What kinda  _ information  _ are you after?” Dina asks. 

“What’s one of your nerdy interests?”

“Probably books. I like to read,” Dina smiles. 

“What’s your favourite?” Ellie asks eagerly. 

“Well-”

“Actually,” Ellie interrupts. “What’s the worst thing you read that you still enjoy?”

Dina laughs, taking a sip of her beer. “Look…” she says with a bashful smile, “I’m a bit of a sucker for a romance.”

“Oh?” Ellie asks, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. 

Dina rolls her eyes. “There’s a lot of bad writing, but Lark’s partner Irene gave me a couple books a while back that are about these two girls who fall in love, and it-” she shrugged. “It was really nice. And sometimes the really  _ really  _ trashy ones are still kinda enjoyable.” 

“You should speak to Abby, she’s got a bit of a collection,” Ellie laughs. “Looks like you have something in common.”

Dina frowns, “I’ve only seen her with serious-looking classics.” 

“Oh those are her ‘going out’ books,” Ellie grins. “You should see the books she keeps in her room.”

Ellie waits until Dina takes a sip of her beer again. 

“It’s just straight up porn,” Ellie says, grinning cheekily at Dina when she splutters and wipes at the beer on her chin.

“I do  _ not  _ need to hear about that,” Dina laughs. 

“All heaving chests and throbbing members,” Ellie says quietly, her eyes are bright with her laughter, but her cheeks flush at her words. 

“Gross, stop,” Dina says, leaning forward over the table to shove Ellie softly. 

“Abby is very well-read. You read anything like that?” Ellie asks, raising her eyebrows suggestively. 

Dina narrows her eyes, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My loves :)   
> Also is it really slow burn if they hold hands within the first 10k words??


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gracefully beta'd once again by my gf.  
> My tumblr user: @respectablesentiment  
> also twitch is @grumblebum1

“So how’s it going with you and the immune girl?” Jesse asks casually. 

They’re in the west watchtower, two hours into the long watch shift, and while Jesse has kept his eyes on the treeline Dina’s haven’t moved from the farm. She can see Ellie in the distance, amongst others on the farm rotation, and while she’s not particularly close, she’s enjoying the view. 

“Don’t call her that,” Dina says flatly, eyes not moving from Ellie. Ellie’s shirt seems a bit tighter today; it’s not too small, just closer to Ellie’s actual size than usual, and Dina wishes she was close enough to see the muscles in Ellie’s back properly as she works. _She’s so strong, Jesus._

“Alright then, how’s it going with you and Ellie?” He repeats plainly. 

“Very good, I think,” Dina shrugs. 

Jesse is quiet, clearly waiting for Dina to continue speaking. 

Dina doesn’t expand further though, wrapped up in the same thoughts that had plagued her for days. _Ellie says she feels comfortable around me,_ she thinks for the thousandth time.

“So Abby and Ellie are going to start doing patrols this week,” Jesse adds a little bit later. “Dina?” 

“Hmm?” Dina asks, watching Ellie politely help Mitchell with an overloaded wheelbarrow and then promptly pull away again without speaking with him. She’s keeping her head down as always, quiet and polite, but reserved.

“I said,” Jesse says loudly, his foot kicking at Dina’s chair. “That Abby and Ellie are going to start doing patrols this week.”

“Really?” Dina asks, finally turning back to Jesse. 

“Yep,” Jesse huffs. “I was doing the roster yesterday and I’ve put you on a patrol with her, thought I’d help set you up.”

“I thought you were interested in her?”

“I got my eye on someone else,” Jesse shrugs. “Besides she’s clearly a lesbian, Dina. It didn’t take me long to figure that out,” Jesse rolls his eyes. 

“I fucking told you-”

“She was born that way, you can’t change her,” Jesse says with a grin. 

“Shut up,” Dina laughs. 

“Anyway, I put you on patrol with her, and looking at you like this,” Jesse says seriously, eyes flicking pointedly between Dina and Ellie in the distance. “I’m a bit worried you’re not gonna take it seriously.”

“You know I’m always careful on patrol,” Dina says calmly. “I’ll behave, I promise.”

Jesse squints at her. “Good, please don’t make me regret it.”

Dina scoots her chair over, moving to the outward facing side of the tower and turns to the treeline where she’s meant to be looking. “I’ll be good,” she says quietly, punching Jesse’s shoulder softly. “Thanks for being such a bro, you’re such a sap.”

Jesse huffs in reply. 

\--

Dina feels giddy a couple days later when she’s heading to the stables to report for patrol. Ellie finds her on the way, smiling excitedly, a slightly more subdued Abby with her. 

“Keen for today?” Dina asks. 

“Definitely,” Ellie nods. “Farming rotation blows, I’ve been asking to start patrols since I got here. Still surprised Joel is letting me.” 

“Yeah, pretty much everyone gets stuck on the farm when they first come to town,” Dina laughs. “Lark’s nice, though.”

“Lark is great,” Ellie says easily. Abby nods in agreement from beside her.

They make their way to the stables quietly. Jesse grins at Dina when she arrives and Joel nods in greeting to them as they enter, both men focused on the large maps Jesse had laid out on the table. 

“Keen for today, kiddo?” Joel asks Ellie gruffly.

“Yep,” Ellie says with a grin, and she’s rocking on her feet, giddy, like the first time Dina saw her. Dina tries to hide her smile at the sight.

Dina isn’t necessarily surprised but she’s happy to see Ellie’s name next to hers on the assignment board as planned. 

Abby clearly isn’t. 

“Look, if Ellie’s going on patrol then I should be her partner,” Abby says sharply, surveying the notice board in front of them.

“Right, it makes perfect sense for two newcomers who don’t know the route _at all_ to be partnered together,” Joel scoffs, handing rifles out from the storage rack in the corner. “I’ll go with you, and Ellie can go with Dina, as planned.” 

“Ellie can’t go with Dina,” Abby says quickly, looking at Dina with derision. “She’d fucking die.”

“Excuse me,” Dina hisses, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

“If Ellie isn’t going with me,” Abby says firmly. “Then she’s going with Joel.”

Ellie is silent throughout the exchange, sitting on the table next to them and swinging her feet absently. She gives Dina an apologetic look, but mainly avoids eye contact, clearly wanting to stay out of the argument.

“Fine, then you’re going with Dina,” Joel says.

“Fine,” Abby mutters darkly, shouldering her rifle and striding toward the horses. 

“What the fuck is wrong with Dina?” Dina huffs, scuffing her boot on the ground. _Fuck me, this spiralled quickly._

She shoots a pleading look at Jesse but he only offers her a helpless shrug. 

She follows the group over to the horses, taking the reins of Japan and cooing to her softly. She watches Joel introduce Ellie to Shimmer and tries to push down the bitterness she feels in her chest towards Abby. She leads Japan outside, climbing into the saddle and tuning out Jesse’s instructions as usual. She nods blankly, and heads out with Abby, following her toward the creek trails. 

\--

Abby seems to tense as soon as they leave the gate. Her back is straight, shoulders rigid, and she keeps her eyes critical and constantly moving. 

“It is unlikely we’ll see anything this early in the day,” Dina says quietly. 

Abby doesn’t reply and doesn’t relax. 

The first lookout is silent. Dina signs them in while Abby waits with the horses, squinting at the view and scuffing her boot on the ground absently. 

Dina thinks about the view from upstairs, her favourite part of this patrol and something she had planned to show Ellie. 

_There’s always next time._

\--

It’s almost midday before Abby speaks again as they ride past abandoned houses in the valley below the first lookout.

“Sorry about before,” Abby says begrudgingly, as though the words had been sitting uncomfortably in her mouth for hours. 

Dina shrugs. 

“For my comment about Ellie,” Abby adds unnecessarily. 

“I imagine Ellie is pretty fucking capable if Joel is willing to let her come on patrol,” Dina says sharply.

“You gonna accept my apology or not?” Abby retorts. 

“Or not.”

Abby rolls her eyes and Dina ignores her. 

\--

It’s almost a relief to find the eviscerated moose outside the old grocery store, and from the look on Abby’s face, Dina thinks she feels the same way. There’s only two runners, easily taken down, but they decide to recheck the building anyway. They enter through the rear, near the old loading dock, and manage to score some ammunition in a safe in an old manager’s office off a breakroom. Abby slips through a gap in the wall to an old bathroom, and the ground cracks underneath her. 

“Abby!” Dina yells, two steps behind her and sliding forward as the floor gives underneath them. They land heavily on the level below, Abby flat on her back, a large plank of wood falling onto her chest, pinning her momentarily. Dina’s hands are immediately on hers, both starting to lift the heavy plank up before Dina drops it with a thud, registering the noise behind them. Dina twists, leaning back on Abby as the other girl stills. 

_Clicker._

Dina waits, seconds passing by like hours. For a brief moment the clicker pauses, before screeching again and Dina’s gun is steady and trained, following its movements. As soon as the head snaps forward, she fires a single shot, ignoring the blood that splatters her face as the clicker rears back from the impact before lurching forward again. 

A second shot and the body drops. 

Dina quickly gets to her feet, crouched and turning to Abby to help move the plank. They take out the remaining two clickers in the room quickly, digging blades into their necks before continuing their sweep. Abby regards her appraisingly afterwards, and Dina ignores her stare. 

\--

They make their way out of the supermarket through a hole in the ceiling and back to the horses, settling down to eat lunch upwind of the moose carcass.

Besides a small, “They’re gonna be happy with our numbers,” from Dina, they are silent. 

Dina rolls her eyes as she unwraps her lunch and sees another crustless sandwich. _What is Talia’s problem?_

Dina almost feels Abby leaning closer, chuckling under her breath. “No crusts, really?”

Dina huffs. “I eat crusts.”

“Doesn’t seem like you do,” Abby laughs, biting into her burrito. 

Dina narrows her eyes. “I do, my sister just keeps cutting them off.”

Abby raises an eyebrow, holding Dina’s gaze. “Oh,” she says, grinning wider. “So your sister packs your lunch _and_ you don’t eat crusts?” 

Dina throws her water bottle at Abby, hitting her squarely on the forehead, smudging the blood splatter there further, but Abby barely flinches. Instead Abby’s smile brightens and she pulls out her third burrito. 

\--

“Ellie asked me to be nicer to you,” Abby says drily as they return to their horses at the final checkpoint. 

“How’s that going for you?” Dina grins. 

Abby rolls her eyes, standing back to let Dina pass through the doorway in front of her. “I don’t actually have a problem with you specifically,” Abby says, her voice quiet and slightly frustrated. 

“Then why are you such a dick?”

“I’m not good with people,” Abby replies shortly. 

“Alright,” Dina says flatly. 

Abby huffs when Dina doesn’t say anything further. “I didn’t want Ellie going with you ‘cause of Ellie, not because of you,” Abby says. “You’re clearly capable.”

Dina looks at Abby appraisingly. _She doesn’t want me around Ellie._

They ride for several long minutes before Dina speaks again. 

“Look, if you like Ellie then maybe you should just speak to her,” Dina says, trying to be sincere despite the twisting feeling in her gut. “It’s best for everyone to be clear about what they want, give Ellie the choice.” 

Abby’s nose wrinkles in disgust and she turns to Dina with narrowed eyes and a sneer. 

“Just put all the cards on the table,” Dina continues. “There’s no reason to fuck around about it.”

“Just when I thought you might be alright,” Abby says, voice low. “You say something fucking _disgusting_ like that.”

“So you don’t like Ellie?” Dina clarifies. 

“I love Ellie,” Abby huffs. “I definitely do not like her. She’s like a half-feral stray dog I’ve adopted. I can’t trust her and I can’t trust anyone else with her.” 

“So, she’s like a sister to you?” Dina asks curiously. _Makes more sense._

“No,” Abby replies. “It’s like she’s a kid I’ve been forced to adopt.”

“You two are like the same age,” Dina says, incredulous. 

“I’m twenty-two, she’s three years younger than me,” Abby shrugs. “I’m more like her guardian. Like a full-time babysitter who thinks she’s annoying but would fuck up a bitch for her,” Abby adds thoughtfully. 

“So, like an older sister?” Dina repeats plainly. 

“No,” Abby frowns. 

“You’re an only child, aren’t you?” Dina laughs. 

\--

They don’t say anything else on the final stretch back to Jackson. 

The silence between them through the day had uneasily cycled through tiring, awkward, strained, resigned, and slightly comfortable. 

Dina felt deeply tired, despite the relative calm of the patrol. _I don’t want to speak to Abby for at least a week,_ she thinks, as they see Jackson in the distance. 

\--

Jesse winces when he meets Dina’s eyes. Abby strides ahead of her, eager to finally fuck off and probably hide away after a day of being ‘social’. Jesse takes the reins of her horse, nodding to her and asking politely how their patrol was. 

“Ellie back?” Abby asks curtly. 

“Yeah, came through ‘bout an hour ago with Joel, she’s all good,” Jesse says calmly. 

Abby nods, and leaves abruptly without saying goodbye. 

Dina sighs, loudly, her shoulders slumping as she watches Abby disappear. 

“That bad, huh?” Jesse winces. 

“Dude, that was one of the longest days of my fucking life,” Dina groans, rubbing at her eyes. 

“I am _so_ sorry,” Jesse says slowly, stressing each word. “Like _so_ sorry.”

“You should have just kept me on patrol with you, and pawned her off to someone else,” Dina says, dismounting and stretching her shoulders restlessly. 

“I was trying to be helpful,” Jesse insists, taking the rifle from Dina and leading Abby’s horse into the stables. Dina follows him with Japan, handing them off to the actual stable hands for today. 

“Cheers,” Dina says politely, nodding to Mateo and tugging Jesse with her out of the stables. “It was so bad,” she hisses. 

“Was the patrol at least quiet?” Jesse asks earnestly. 

“It was literally the quietest day in existence,” Dina scoffs. “Like legitimately, I was going fucking stir crazy. We found three clickers in the old mall, but otherwise nothing.”

“That’s… that’s still something, was it okay?” Jesse asks, he relaxes at Dina’s nod. “I promise to not assign you to a patrol with her again.”

“Please just pair me with you for the foreseeable future, or at least just keep me on my normal runs,” Dina grumbles. “She’s gonna chuck another fit if you try to put me with Ellie.”

“Yeah,” Jesse huffs. “I’m surprised Ellie didn’t say anything.”

“I think she’s just glad she’s getting to do something, regardless of who it’s with,” Dina says earnestly, thinking about Ellie’s comments on her time in Salt Lake. “She’s never really been allowed to do proper work before.”

“I’m surprised she wants to,” Jesse laughs. “She’s the reason we got the cure, I don’t think she needs to do anything else.” 

Dina shrugs, thinking about Ellie’s past. She doesn’t know much about the specifics, mostly the bits and pieces she’d picked up from the town gossip, and she trusted little of it. Ellie was eager and earnest about doing work, about contributing, and Dina had almost forgotten that she was immune. That Ellie had been bitten before. That Ellie could have turned. 

“You good?” Jesse asks, knocking his shoulder against Dina’s as they walk. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Dina mumbles. “Just thinking.”

“About Ellie?”

“Yeah,” Dina smiles softly. “She’s interesting. I kinda keep forgetting that she’s the _immune girl_ ,” Dina laughs, stressing the last two words like they’re absurd. 

“You really like her, huh?”

“She’s fucking lovely,” Dina says earnestly. “I…” Her voice trails off. 

“You?” Jesse asks. 

“I’m just genuinely enjoying getting to know her,” Dina says. “We got time, I wanna do this right, you know?” 

“I get it,” Jesse says thoughtfully. “I know what you mean. Look, I’m sorry today was fucked, how about I buy you a beer later, once you get cleaned up?” Jesse asks, stopping in front of Dina’s place. 

“Meet you at the diner in a half hour?”

“You got it,” he grins, saluting to her lazily and strolling away. 

\--

Dina orders the same burger after every patrol. Plain. Beef with extra tomato if they have it. 

It feels like a routine, and she enjoys the heaviness of the meal in her stomach afterwards. 

She’s chewing her last bite when she hears her name being called. 

“Dina?” 

She tunes out Jesse, rambling about the next scouting mission he had planned, and sees Ellie near the door. She’s smiling softly, her hair wet and up in a bun, and she looks very relaxed in a grey hoodie. _Today must have gone well,_ Dina thinks, as she watches Ellie approach. 

Dina sees Abby entering behind her, and both girls locking eyes briefly before Dina focuses back on Ellie. Abby’s shoulders seem to slump when she sees the direction that Ellie is walking. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” Dina asks. “How was today?”

“Yeah,” Ellie says softly, nodding calmly as though she’s agreeing with herself. 

Dina blinks, shooting a smile at Jesse. “So it was good?” She clarifies. 

“Very smooth,” Ellie elaborates. “Can we join you?” 

“Sure thing,” Jesse grins, shifting over on his side of the booth politely. 

Ellie slides in next to Dina, and Abby huffs quietly but joins them anyway. Dina feels like they’ve reached an accord with one another, but both of them have definitely seen enough of each other for the day. 

“How are you?” Ellie asks, dropping her head back on the cushioned back of the booth seat, her head lolling to face Dina. She's a little closer to Dina than she needs to be, close enough that their elbows touch when Dina sips her drink.

“I’m good, tired though,” Dina answers with a smile. She chuckles, leaning in slightly toward Ellie. “You smell like weed,” she adds quietly, eyes looking intently at the neatly rolled joint tucked behind Ellie’s left ear. 

Ellie shrugs, “I don’t know what to tell you, dude.” 

Dina laughs. “Anyway, Jess and I were just talking about patrols,” Dina continues, nodding at Abby. “We’re almost done with our food, but you should order if you need to eat. We’re probably gonna be here for a bit.” 

“We’ve had dinner,” Abby says tiredly. “Ellie has the munchies, and she said she’d buy me a drink as long as she got some fries.” She rubs her eyes, looking very much like she doesn’t want to be there. 

Ellie hums, smiling eagerly at the thought of fries. She doesn’t respond though, eyes a bit dazed, looking directly at Abby but not really taking in Abby’s raised eyebrow, her pointed gaze flicking between the bar and Ellie.

“Ellie,” Abby says slowly. 

“Mm?” 

“Go get me a drink,” Abby says. 

“Right,” Ellie laughs, bumping her shoulder into Dina’s. Dina feels overly aware of how close Ellie had decided to sit next to her in the booth, compared to the distance between Jesse and Abby on the other side. “Want another round?” She asks Jesse and Dina. “My shout.”

“Sure thing,” Jesse agrees, and the group collectively watches Ellie in amusement as she wanders up to the bar, stumbles through handing over some coins to a patient Rachel, and then looks at the four beers placed in front of her like she’s preparing for a battle.

Rachel ends up taking half of them, helping Ellie carry them back over to the table. “Just let me know if you need anything else,” she adds, winking at Abby. 

Abby smirks into her first sip. 

Jesse nods his thanks to Ellie, pulling his glass closer and continuing his previous conversation with Dina. “Anyway, the idea is to extend the northern scouting patrol a bit further so we can reach Fort Yellowstone, which was this old army base close to Montana-”

“How close to Montana?” Dina asks tiredly, thinking about the potential extension to the route. 

“It-” Jesse falters. “It would basically take us to the border.”

“Jesse, that’s not the point of these runs and you know it. We can push that far next Spring,” Dina says plainly. 

Abby watches with interest, she seems hesitant to speak but does so anyway. “So, what exactly are these scouting patrols for? Didn’t you just do one north the other week?” 

“We do the scouting patrols in sets,” Jesse explains, the words familiar to both him and Dina. “Initial run is focused on updating maps, three to four days, with usually three people. You stay in open, mostly silent unless you’re familiar with the territory, and you highlight any structures of note or new terrain in log books. It’s a light sweep, staying as silent as possible and taking out every Infected you see.”

“What about nests?” Abby asks curiously. 

“Second run is done very similarly. We tend to do a light sweep of smaller structures and every now and then let off a shot to see if we can stir up any trouble,” Jesse explains. “The third and fourth runs are longer, with larger groups, and it’s like a deep cleanse.”

Abby nods, “So you clear the buildings then?”

“Clear properly on the third run,” Dina nods. “Picking up any immediately valuable supplies, medication, ammunition, you know the drill, and the fourth run is like a clean up sweep where you basically attempt to fortify a future checkpoint and pick everything apart that could be useful.”

“We go a little further out every time, so it's only the further edges where we tend to find anything good, unless we’ve missed something,” Jesse adds.

“That’s an interesting approach,” Abby nods thoughtfully. “So how did your first run go?”

\--

“Fancy seeing you here,” Tony calls, striding across the room. 

Ellie’s eyes are a little clearer now, with half a plate of fries in her stomach. She and Abby are on their second round of drinks, Jesse and Dina their third. Dina’s cheeks feel a little warm but she doesn’t really feel tipsy yet. Abby’s picking absently at the fries, asking Jesse questions to clarify about Jackson’s routes. 

The group glance over to Tony, but Ellie’s eyes stay on Jesse. 

“Excuse me,” Tony huffs. “I was talking to you,” he jabs his finger toward Ellie, looking like he’s about to actually poke her but he stops at the sound of Abby’s low growl. 

Ellie stays still and silent. 

“How about you fuck off, Tony?” Dina says sharply. 

Tony rolls his eyes. “I’m just trying to be friendly, fuck,” he huffs, before forcing a smile. “Heard you went on patrol today, I think that’s sick.”

“Is it?” Ellie asks quietly, taking a sip from her beer and grinning at Abby. 

“Yeah, of course,” Tony says. “I’m thinking of signing up again,” Tony offers. “We should go on patrol sometime together, swap some war stories, y’know?”

“Tony, we’ve talked about this before. I don’t think you’re the right fit for patrol,” Jesse says politely. 

“That’s an understatement,” Dina mutters under her breath. 

“Well, maybe Ellie can show me a thing or two, huh?” Tony glares at Jesse, then reaches out as though to touch Ellie’s shoulder, but she grabs his wrist before he comes close to her. 

Dina can see the tension in her shoulders, the frown settling on her lips, but she cannot see her eyes properly from her side profile.

“You got some tricks up your sleeve,” Tony says more quietly, grimacing at Ellie’s grip. “I’d love to see you fight.”

Abby bristles in her seat, but remains still. 

“You need to back off,” Dina grits out. 

Tony yelps suddenly, stumbling back as a small hand twists in his hair. He pulls his wrist from Ellie’s grip and turns to face Cat, who makes a show of wiping her hand on her jeans, as though Tony’s hair was excessively dirty. “Go away, dickhead,” she says sharply. 

Cat smiles at the group brightly, an eager Brodie beside her, ignoring Tony, who sputters in outrage.

“How’s it going, kids?” She asks, moving closer to the booth, forcing Tony out of the way. He glares around at them, muttering “fuck this” at the sight of the four faces that look back at him with expressions ranging from indifference to disgust. He wheels around and storms off, and Dina takes a long sip of her drink, trying to shake off her anger before projecting it onto Cat. 

“You’re a bit short to call us kids, aren’t you?” Abby says, rolling her eyes, as though Tony had never been there.

Cat raises an eyebrow at her, grinning wickedly as she slides into the booth beside Ellie. Ellie shifts over in the seat; the booths are much better suited to four occupants than six. She’s pressed fully against Dina’s side now, shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh, and Dina notices with discomfort that she’s just as close to Cat on the other side. 

“I’ll call you what I want,” Cat laughs. 

“Can I call you handsome?” Brodie asks, sitting closely to Abby. She barely moves over to accommodate him, a clear space evident between Jesse and Abby but Brodie is tightly pressed against Abby, almost hanging out of the booth. 

Abby looks at him in amusement. “Sure,” she says. 

“I like your arms,” he adds earnestly. “You should be very proud of them.”

“I am, actually,” Abby laughs, brightening slightly; she shifts, moving her arms in front of her and flexing them for Brodie. 

He hovers a hand over the closest bicep without thinking, eyes wide and flicking over to hers for permission, and he hums when he touches the muscle there. “Very proud,” he murmurs softly. 

Abby is looking at him with more interest now, and Dina tries to hide her laugh. 

“Hi Ellie, I’m Cat,” Cat says with a demure smile, holding a hand out for Ellie to shake. “The flirt over there is Brodie,” she says, nodding toward Brodie across the table. “We haven’t properly met yet, but I’ve seen you around.”

Ellie takes her hand, shaking it gently and mumbling a soft, “Nice to meet you.”

Their hands seem to linger in one another’s grasp, a slow smirk growing on Cat’s lips at the sight, and Ellie’s face is pointed slightly down as though she’s focused on their hands or the tattoos covering Cat’s arms. 

“You like my tattoos?” Cat asks, leaning in and almost purring. Dina tries to hide her grimace. She isn’t sure how well she does so with the consoling look that Jesse flashes at her. 

“Yeah, they’re really nice,” Ellie says genuinely, finally letting go over Cat’s hand. She tucks her hands into her lap under the table, and Dina can see her rubbing her right arm absently. 

“Thanks babe,” Cat grins, settling back into the cushioned seat of the booth and turning her focus back to the group. “So, Brodes and I are having a party this Friday, _kids,_ ” Cat says, emphasising the final word with a grin at Abby. 

Dina chuckles at Abby’s frown, but the laughter dies in her throat when she feels Ellie shift beside her. Cat has thrown her arm around Ellie, the weight of it sitting on the back of the booth, but she had clearly brushed Ellie’s shoulders in the process. 

“I expect all four of you to be there,” Cat says, eyes narrowing and flicking between Jesse and Abby. “As antisocial as _some_ of you can be.”

Dina grits her teeth, sneaking a hand to rub Ellie’s knee soothingly under the table. Ellie seems to stiffen further and Dina realises she might actually be a little tipsier than she thought. She pulls her hand away from Ellie, telling herself, _don’t be like Cat and make her more uncomfortable. Jesus._

Ellie’s hand follows hers, though, slipping into Dina’s and squeezing gently. _Oh._

“So, are you in?” Cat asks. 

Dina smiles shyly at Ellie, their eyes meeting quietly.

Cat chooses that moment to stretch her arm further, her hand reaching Dina’s shoulder and scratching it playfully. 

Dina’s eyes lift to meet Cat’s, glaring. 

“You in, babe?” Cat asks, stroking Dina’s shoulder. 

Dina lets go of Ellie’s hand, reaching up to grab Cat’s hand and pointedly fling it back at her, taking Cat’s arm off of Ellie in the process. “Maybe keep your hands to yourself, and we’ll see,” Dina huffs. 

“Since when do you not want my hands on you?” Cat snorts, rolling her eyes. 

Ellie squints at Dina questioningly, and Dina shakes her head at her quietly. _It’s not like that_ , she tries to say with her eyes. She takes Ellie’s hand again under the table, squeezing it gently. 

“You should definitely come,” Brodie says to Abby. “I have glow in the dark stars on the ceiling in my room.”

“Do they actually still glow?” Jesse asks curiously. 

“You know…” Brodie says thoughtfully, a smile on his lips. “I’m not actually sure, if you could maybe come check with me Abby, that would be _amazing_.”

Abby grins. 

Jesse looks at Dina pointedly, rubbing his eyes. A quiet drink after a long day was a normal occurrence for them. He’s more slumped against the wall now than the back of the booth and he looks very much trapped.

Dina tries to focus on the warmth of Ellie’s hand in hers, pulling her beer closer with her left hand and taking another sip. 

“So,” Abby asks, turning back to Jesse. “This next northerly scouting run, when are you planning it for?” As she shifts, she knocks into Brodie almost carelessly, but her arm is a little too quick to be reflexive as she wraps it around him so he doesn’t fall from the booth. She shifts him closer, and he shoots a smug smile at Cat as Abby chats with Jesse.

\--

“This is boring,” Cat huffs, lasting about twenty minutes attempting to follow along. “Let’s play a game,” she adds, clapping her hands together, trying to change the discussion from patrol tactics. 

“What kind of game?” Jesse says, rubbing his eyes again. They’re slightly red now, like he’s pressed too hard. 

“A _learning_ game,” Cat says, smiling demurely. 

Dina squints at her, hand tightening on Ellie’s. She’s spent the last ten minutes tracing the calluses at the tips of Ellie’s fingers gently, thinking about how she got them. “I think I need more alcohol if that’s the case,” she says drily. 

“I’ll get the round but I’m not paying, chip in, come on,” Brodie says eagerly, holding out his hand and accepting a single coin from everyone. He pointedly ignores Abby’s offering, smiling at her flirtatiously. “Not you though, babe. I got _you._ ”

Abby looks a bit surprised, watching Brodie intently as he and Cat head over to the bar. 

Dina rubs her thumb on the back of Ellie’s hand, smiling at her softly when Ellie meets her gaze. Dina feels conscious of how quiet Ellie is, thinking of how much more open she was when they were alone.

“Alright, so where do we wanna start?” Cat asks as she slides back into the booth next to Ellie. 

Brodie grins, “Let’s all talk about our first kiss.” 

“Kill me,” Dina mutters under her breath, trying to smile at Ellie when the girl glances over. Ellie’s forehead is creased and she looks a little concerned. 

“My first kiss was Brodie,” Cat offers easily. “I liked this girl, _Emily_ ,” she says dreamily. “And she liked Brodie and my dumb baby gay ass kissed Brodie instead of talking to her.”

“Mine was Laura,” Brodie shrugs. “It was pretty good, she’s a good kisser.”

“She really is,” Abby says, smirking into her drink. 

Brodie raises an eyebrow, almost leering at Abby. “Interesting.” 

“Mine was Dina,” Jesse says, sitting back in his seat and looking bored. 

Ellie looks a bit surprised at that, eyes widening and looking at Dina quickly. 

“Who was yours, Dina?” Cat asks cheekily. “Was it… _phenomenal?”_

“Eh, on a scale of one to ten, with one being like absolute trash and ten being... _life-altering_ ,” Dina squints at the ceiling, as though deep in thought. “I’d give it a three, a solid three.” She looks back with enough time to watch the words register on Cat’s face.

“Oh, fuck you,” Cat says sharply. 

Ellie looks back at Cat before turning again to Dina. “Huh?”

“I was Dina’s first kiss,” Cat says with a smirk. “Hasn’t she told you about me?”

“Hasn’t said a word,” Ellie says quietly. 

“There isn’t much to say,” Dina grumbles. “What you see is what you get.”

“A hot piece of ass,” Cat says quietly into Ellie’s ear, she leans in close and Dina can only just hear her words over the laughter of the group. Dina watches the flush settle on Ellie’s cheeks with discomfort, fighting the urge to push Cat out of the booth. 

“Who was your first kiss, Ellie?” Jesse asks, clearly trying to move the subject on from Cat before Dina did something. 

“Um,” Ellie blinks, almost in a daze. She stiffens once she processes Jesse’s words, biting her lip.

“Have there been that many?” Brodie asks curiously, not giving her much of a chance to respond.

“Or have you not been kissed before?” Cat asks suggestively. “Because I would-”

“Ellie’s had her fun,” Abby says shortly. “I reckon it was Nora, right Ell? She was one of the soldiers back in Salt Lake,” she pauses briefly before continuing on before anyone can interject. “Anyway, mine was fucking awful.” 

The group seems to shift their gaze to Abby now, and Ellie almost shrinks into Dina’s side. Dina fights the urge to wrap an arm around Ellie as Ellie rests her cheek on her shoulder. 

“You good?” Dina asks quietly, tuning out Abby being talkative for once about the Fireflies, only noting briefly how unusual it is. 

“Her name was Riley,” Ellie mumbles, so softly Dina almost doesn’t catch it. 

Dina nods, turning her head so her lips brush Ellie’s forehead, not a proper kiss, nothing that would look purposeful to anyone else. Ellie’s thumb rubs the back of Dina’s hand tenderly in response. “Good kiss?” Dina whispers. 

“Yeah,” Ellie murmurs. 

Ellie lifts her head up, the moment passing between them fleetingly, and when Dina looks back up she meets Abby’s watchful eyes. Dina offers a thin smile and Abby nods curtly at her. 

“So, wait, not only was this guy a shitty kisser, he was a bad lay and you were still with him?” Brodie asks, tone horrified. 

“Darling,” Cat says, reaching across the table to touch Abby’s hand. “You deserve better than that.”

“So much better,” Brodie says softly, fingers tracing the shaved hair on the side of Abby’s head. 

Dina has to hold back a snort when she meets Jesse’s eyes; he looks beyond done with his day. He slides his drink forward, tapping the glass against Dina’s and finishing the remaining liquid in several slow gulps. 

Jesse yawns, loudly and pointedly. “I think I’m done,” he says, turning to Abby and Brodie. “Can you please let me out?”

Brodie hops up easily, while Abby takes her time sliding out of the booth and stretching her arms. She doesn’t seem to notice Brodie’s lingering gaze, seemingly focused on rolling her right shoulder like it’s bothering her. 

“Wanna walk me home?” Brodie asks. 

Abby smiles apologetically toward Brodie as Jesse stands. “I’m actually really tired,” she says. “Had a very long day and I’ve definitely hit my social limit.” She looks toward the door.

“No worries,” Brodie responds easily. He slides back into the booth, finishing Abby’s drink and trying to hide his frown. 

“Friday though,” Abby adds. “I’ll see you at the party?” 

Brodie nods eagerly, and Cat chuckles. 

“Might head home too,” Ellie says quietly, head down, squeezing Dina’s hand tightly. Cat stands to allow Ellie to leave and Dina is surprised when Ellie pulls her hand with her, only letting go to avoid it being seen when she slides out. She had planned to leave regardless, but the gesture, a quiet request, made her chest feel warm. 

Dina follows, nodding toward Cat and Brodie as she follows the group out. She knocks her shoulder against Jesse, thanking him quietly for the drink before he splits off from the group and heads toward his home. 

Abby and Ellie are a little ahead of her when she turns back. Abby has her arm wrapped around Ellie’s shoulders, pulling Ellie close to her side for a moment and dropping a quick kiss on the top of Ellie’s head. Dina can hear Abby’s voice murmur something but can’t catch the words; she seems to relax with Ellie’s response, and lets the smaller girl go. 

Ellie loiters, dropping back slightly to walk alongside Dina as Abby strides ahead of them, her head high; from this angle, it looks like she’s focusing on the night sky. 

Ellie and Dina walk in silence, hands brushing shyly again. _We just held hands for like an hour, just fucking take her hand,_ Dina tells herself impatiently. _Jesus._

Before she can, Ellie pulls her hand away, reaching up to snag the joint behind her ear and placing it in her mouth. She grins lazily at Dina when she turns to stare, the joint dipping at the movement as she cups her hand around it and lights it with a lighter from her pocket. The small flame seems to make Ellie’s eyes golden for a movement and Dina looks away feeling slightly breathless, and definitely tipsy. 

They don’t speak until they reach Ellie’s home. Abby glances back at them as she heads inside and they linger at the gate. 

“Bit of a stoner, aren’t you?” Dina grins. 

“No idea what you’re talking about,” Ellie mumbles, taking another drag from the half smoked joint and offering it delicately to Dina. She’s smiling but her eyes don’t seem to hold it. 

Dina declines with a slight shake of her head. “Got work tomorrow, a buzz tends to make me fuzzy in the mornings.”

“Really?” Ellie asks in interest. “I don’t find it stays with me for long,” she adds, her cheeks hollowing as she takes another deep pull. “One joint will wear off in like an hour,” she shrugs, blowing the smoke away from Dina. “Maybe two, max.”

“I think I just struggle a bit to fall asleep,” Dina offers. “And I tend to smoke when I drink,” she squints. “So that could be a factor.”

“Fair,” Ellie nods, tapping the joint with her finger and watching the ash settle on the ground. 

“You okay?” Dina asks gently, fighting the urge to reach out and close the distance between them, to hug Ellie. 

“Mmm,” Ellie hums, licking her lips. “So work tomorrow, you got another patrol?” She asks, rubbing at her nose and refusing to meet Dina’s eyes as she avoids the question. 

“Watch shift, actually,” Dina says, half wincing. 

“Ahh,” Ellie laughs. “Been meaning to ask Maria ‘bout those.”

“They can be long and boring, depending on who you’re paired with,” Dina explains, feeling tired and conscious of the late hour. “Better than farm rotation, I guess. It can be quiet, so it’s good to bring a book.”

“I like quiet,” Ellie hums. “Sometimes.” Her gaze lifts as she leans back against the low fence. “I could draw,” she adds, squinting at the stars. 

“Oh,” Dina smiles. “You draw?”

“Perhaps,” Ellie says slyly. 

Dina chuckles, watching the dumb grin broaden on Ellie’s face. 

“I do a lot of things,” Ellie mumbles, taking the final hit of the joint and looking at the roach in distaste. She flicks it to the ground, grumbling almost at having finished it. 

“You know, I quite like you,” Dina says, her tone a mixture of joking and sincere. 

Ellie’s eyes are intense when they meet hers, before Ellie forces down her smile. “Who wouldn’t? I’m a fucking delight,” Ellie says in a deadpan, leaning in slightly, lips pressed together valiently as though to wrestle down the small smile that Dina can still see. 

“You’re the best stoner I know,” Dina laughs, holding a hand to her heart playfully. 

Ellie hums, holding Dina’s eyes with her own.

The moment feels disproportionate to Dina, heart hammering in her chest, head still fuzzy from the alcohol, but they’re both relaxed and close, untouching. She feels dumb and eager and patient in the same moment. She wants to kiss Ellie but she always feels like that. There’s an air of something between them, and tainted doesn’t feel like the right word, but it’s the wrong moment. 

They don’t actually end up saying goodnight; instead they just smile at each other knowingly before Ellie dips her chin, nodding at Dina like she’s actually saying something, and then heads inside. Abby has left the front door open for her, and Dina’s eyes follow Ellie until she’s safely inside - as though watching her walk those last four metres was necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small town gays deserve representation, Jackson would be messy AF and we all know it.  
> Please let me know what you think of all my queer babies and the story so far!  
> I've got a lot more written and we definitely aren't halfway - closer to a quarter really. Work is a bit busy atm but I'll keep the updates as regular as I can. Looking at probably two updates a week on a regular basis, and I'll update the chapter count when I have a better idea of it. Definitely at least 8-10 chapters :)  
> (keeeeeeeeeeen for you to see the house party)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This party chapter is here for a good time AND a long time.  
> .  
> Gracefully beta'd once again by my gf.  
> My tumblr user: @respectablesentiment / twitch is @grumblebum1

“So, uh,” Jesse says with a crooked grin. “Things seemed a bit tense with you and Cat last night.” 

Dina hums absently, focused on taking inventory of the medical supplies. She’s on a clinic shift today, eager to read the book she had brought along and attempting to get through all her administrative tasks first. The clinic shifts were always long, applying general first aid to those who needed it, and otherwise being available should someone need critical care following a mishap or a patrol gone wrong. The clinic was staffed at all times, essentially a small hospital now that had spilled a bit further into an old converted house. 

The lower floor had been converted into a main clinic office, two makeshift surgery rooms in the back, one larger than the other, and four small bedrooms with several beds each for those who needed additional care. The upper floor was a small flat, home to Isabel Taylor. Isabel was a close friend with Maria, level headed and cordial, and had managed the hospital since Jackson was founded. While she did not work shifts at the clinic per se, she was essentially on call full time and had worked as a nurse practitioner before the outbreak. 

Dina took clinic shifts often, rotating largely between clinic, patrol and watch shifts. She took the occasional shift at the stables but only when Jesse was working. She didn’t appreciate how slow the day moved there when she couldn’t retreat into a novel. 

“Should I be trying to separate you on patrol?” Jesse asks. He never worked at the clinic, rotating between patrols, watch shifts and working at the stables. He often bothered Dina at the clinic, though, coming in on his days off or after an early shift had finished. She normally enjoyed his company. 

Dina rolls her eyes, trying to focus on the count. Inventory was done weekly, and Isabel was particular about accounting for any difference in their supplies. 

“I’m serious, I honestly thought you were gonna push her out of the booth,” Jesse continues. 

“It’s nothing,” Dina says dismissively, moving onto the next cabinet. “She was just being herself and I was touchy.”

“Still haven’t made things clear with Ellie yet?” Jesse asks, settling into the chair at the clinic’s small desk in the corner.

“I don’t want to rush anything,” Dina says, frustrated. 

“And you’re worried Cat might fuck that up?” 

“Yeah,” Dina sighs. “You know how she is.”

“She flirts with everyone,” Jesse says calmly, turning around in the office chair slowly. “She doesn’t mean anything by it.”

“I think I know exactly what she means by it,” Dina mutters under her breath, marking down her final notes on the inventory log. 

“Look, not that I think it would happen, but if Cat and Ellie did hook up...” Jesse says, placating, holding his hands up when Dina shoots him a dark look. He shrugs, “It’s not like it would stick, she’s never been one for relationships. So it wouldn’t really ruin anything for you.”

“Yeah, but,” Dina huffs, fixing her ponytail distractedly and dropping the clipboard onto the desk beside Jesse. “Ellie is different, she’s special, so what if this is different too?”

“Dina,” Jesse says seriously, reaching out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I know you and Ellie have been hanging out a bit, I think you might be seeing a different side to her than everyone else.”

Dina squints, “What do you mean?”

“Okay, so like,” Jesse sits back in the chair again, folding his arms behind his head as he lounges back. “Who would you say is quieter… Ellie or Abby?”

“Abby,” Dina answers easily. 

“You’d probably be the only one to say so,” Jesse grins. 

Dina frowns, _really?_

“Literally, she said more last night than I’ve seen since she arrived,” Jesse says. 

“She- she said like five words the whole time,” Dina scoffs, thinking of how little Ellie said when she first arrived last night, turning practically mute in the group setting, and only opening up when they had left together. 

“Don’t get me wrong, she seems-” He squints. “I wouldn’t say nice, but she comes across as polite, just very quiet and reserved. So like,” he shrugs again. “I get that you like her a lot, but to everyone else she’s still ‘the immune girl’, she’s a mystery.”

“I bet she’s a mystery that Cat wants to figure out,” Dina grumbles. 

“Not to play devil’s advocate, but Cat can be friends with her if she wants to be,” Jesse says. 

Dina huffs, sitting down on the small bed in the corner and rubbing her eyes. “I know,” she whines petulantly, feeling annoyed at herself. “I just don’t want people to bother Ellie.” 

“Seems like Ellie handles dickheads fine, she certainly handled Tony and Jack well enough,” Jesse says dismissively. 

“Jack?” Dina asks sharply, eyes snapping up to meet Jesse’s. Jack was young, a friend of Mateo’s, dumb as rocks and not yet cleared for patrols because of it. “What did Jack do?”

“No idea, I just saw the aftermath.”

Dina raises an eyebrow. 

“He says he fell, but I assume he did something and Ellie shoved him,” Jesse grins. “But the result was him walking through town, covered in manure.”

Dina grins at the thought. _Serves him right._

“Anyway, my point was that Ellie seems to handle people fine. She keeps to herself, but can clearly cope if someone bothers her,” Jesse explains. “I just think you feel a bit territorial over ‘your’ girl.” 

“I don’t want to be,” Dina huffs. “But Cat’s sneaky. She’s… she’s very enticing when she wants to be.”

“Speaking from experience?” Jesse asks cheekily. 

“Oh, shut up,” Dina groans. 

\--

The next time Dina goes to the library she finds Ellie there, curled up on the couch in the back, reading a comic. She’s clearly brought her own; the town’s small library has few comics to offer and Dina notes the impressive stack of comics sitting on the low coffee table beside her. 

“Fancy seeing you here, Freckles,” Dina murmurs, heading to one of the nearby shelves to browse for a new book. 

Ellie smiles softly when she sees her, her hair pulled back in a messy bun and she looks rumpled and tired. “Hey Dina,” she says softly, shifting slightly on the couch to sit up a bit more, and smooths down the wrinkles in her flannel shirt.

“How are you?” Dina asks absently, pulling out a familiar Jules Verne book instead of actually trying to find something new. 

“Mmm, had a couple of days,” Ellie says gently. The statement gives Dina no insight, but the slight vulnerability in her voice paired with her vague words makes Dina hesitate to question her further. “You?”

“Same old,” Dina walks over to join her on the couch, ignoring her armchair that she normally reads in. Ellie is sitting against the left arm of the couch, legs bent at an angle rather than stretched out, and there’s enough room for Dina to sit comfortably beside her. “It’s good to see you here.”

“Abby is entertaining company,” Ellie explains, grimacing slightly. “Needed to go somewhere else.”

“Ah, so you’ve set up shop for the day?” Dina laughs, propping her legs up on the coffee table in front of her and opening the book on her lap. 

“Normally I’d just go camp at Joel’s,” Ellie says. “But I didn’t feel like that today. I was kinda hoping you’d come by,” Ellie adds shyly. 

Dina grins, wriggling in her seat to get comfortable. _She’s sweet,_ Dina thinks, _don’t ruin her confidence_. “Got enough comics?” She asks, eyeing the stack Ellie had set on the table beside her. 

“Abby can sometimes take a _while,_ ” Ellie replies, flipping a page in her comic.

Dina wrinkles her nose, “Good for her, I guess.”

“Mmm,” Ellie hums noncommittally. “I’m meant to be doing a farm shift today, so I don’t think she realised I was still home.” Ellie adds, “I swapped shifts with Mitchell so he can have the day off tomorrow.”

“Right,” Dina hums, lifting her book slightly to look at the page without really reading the words. “You going to Cat’s house party tomorrow?”

“Are you?” Ellie asks, stretching her legs out slightly, her socked feet pressing under Dina’s thigh, and when Dina turns to look at her, their eyes meet. Ellie’s eyes are subdued, a bit red perhaps from tiredness, not necessarily sad, but it makes the green of her eyes seem a little darker than normal. 

“That might depend on your answer,” she says slyly, hoping to make Ellie smile. 

Ellie nods calmly, but doesn’t respond, her eyes lingering on Dina’s. 

“I would definitely go if you were there,” Dina says sincerely, dropping her playful tone. 

Ellie’s lips curl, and Dina grins at her success. “Sounds like a plan,” Ellie mumbles, returning to her comic. 

They read quietly for most of the afternoon, the silence only broken by the turning of pages and Ellie’s clothes rustling when she traded out comics. 

\--

“What’s your book about?” Ellie asks later, her feet resting on Dina’s lap, Dina’s forearms resting on her legs. 

It takes Dina a few moments to process the words, deeply zoned out into the adventure.

“Is it good?” Ellie asks when Dina blinks dazedly, turning to her. 

“It’s very good,” Dina smiles. “One of my favourites, I think you’d like it actually, from the look of your comics.”

“Yeah?” Ellie asks, leaning off the couch to place the last comic she had just finished on the table. She yawns, Dina feels her legs stretch under her arms, and Ellie grins. “Tell me about it?”

Dina closes the book, only briefly noting the page before handing it to Ellie to her to look. “It’s about these three men who are hunting a sea monster, and they end up finding out that the monster-,” she pauses, waiting for Ellie’s eyes to meet hers. “-is actually a submarine.”

“A submarine?” Ellie laughs. “Wouldn’t that have showed up on a radar?”

“It’s set in the 1800s, so no,” Dina laughs. “It was written about 200 years ago, isn’t that crazy?”

Ellie looks at the book curiously, fingers tracing the words ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ idly. “It doesn’t look two hundred years old,” she says disbelievingly, forehead creased. 

“The story is two hundred years old, doofus,” Dina laughs affectionately. “The book would have been printed like thirty or forty years ago, before the outbreak.”

Ellie’s cheeks turn a little pink, opening the book and focusing on it instead of meeting Dina’s eyes. “Rude,” Ellie mumbles, kicking at Dina’s arm gently. 

Dina rolls her eyes good-naturedly, she squeezes Ellie’s ankle. “It’s a good book, big focus on exploration and adventure, it feels easy to get lost in. Do you wanna borrow it?”

“Oh, no, it’s okay, you’re in the middle of it-”

“I’ve read it before,” Dina reassures her. “It’s an easy favourite and I wanted something comforting for today, you know? Familiar.”

Ellie nods, looking at her comics fondly. “I know the feeling,” she says softly. She sits up and stretches, Dina hears at least three pops as she does so. “I should head off, I’m having a movie night with Joel.” 

“Say hi for me?” Dina says easily.

“Will do,” Ellie nods, starting to pick up the comics and put them back into her backpack. Dina smiles when she notices the small rocket pin on her backpack. “You sure it’s okay for me to borrow this?” Ellie asks, holding the book up. 

“Definitely,” Dina nods, shifting on the couch to tuck her legs under her. 

Ellie thanks her, zipping her bag mostly closed and straightening to leave, the book held carefully in her hands. 

“Ellie?” Dina asks hesitantly when Ellie turns to leave, Ellie looks back at her curiously. “You seemed a bit off earlier, are you alright?”

Ellie nods, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth and Dina contemplates asking again but decides not to. 

“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here,” Dina offers quietly. Ellie nods again, and for a moment it looks like she might walk back over, but she leaves instead. 

\--

“Okay, thank you William,” Maria says politely, clearly making a mental note to herself to update the patrol roster. 

Dina isn’t sure how she ended up in this situation. She had been so close to her shift finishing at the main gate’s watchtower, running over clothing options for the party tonight. She never gave that much thought to what she was wearing normally, but she wanted to look nice for Ellie. 

Ellie’s place was between hers and Cat’s, and she had been hoping to maybe drop by on the way. Worst case scenario, Ellie was ahead of her and she’d knock to no answer and hopefully Abby wouldn’t be there to make a snide remark. Best case scenario, they could hold hands on the walk. 

_That would have been nice,_ she thinks. _I’m gonna be late now, I’ll have to meet her there._

“You’ve got a watch shift tomorrow planned, don’t you? If you’re taking the Colten Bay patrol to cover for Khanh, then I’ll need someone to cover your shift,” Maria says, looking over to Dina expectantly. 

Dina grimaces, focusing on Khanh’s ankle as she bandages it securely. She was so close to finishing at the watchtower before he and Joel had returned from patrol. Khanh’s horse had spooked while he was dismounting it, badly spraining the ankle still caught in the stirrup. While it wasn’t broken, it would take weeks to heal properly, and he wouldn’t be fit to work at all tomorrow. 

Dina had been heading home from her watch shift when Joel and Khanh had returned. She had helped Khanh to the clinic while Joel sent for Maria. William, the person actually working the clinic shift, was sitting unhelpfully at the desk watching as Dina applied first aid and assessed Khanh’s ankle. He had been eager to volunteer for Khanh’s shift the following day, and Dina knows that he was likely motivated by how much he detested watch shifts. 

“Dina,” Maria smiles politely but pointedly. “Could you take a watch shift tomorrow at-” She looks over to William. 

“East Gate 2,” he supplies helpfully.

“I know you kids are having a party tonight,” Khanh says quietly. “I could- I could probably do it, Maria.”

Maria scoffs, looking at his ankle and rolling her eyes for show. “I’d love to see you climb a ladder like this, Khanh.”

“It’s all good, I’ll do it,” Dina says quietly. _Fuck me, I’m gonna have to go easy tonight._

“You can still have fun at your party without getting too drunk,” Maria says with a laugh.

Dina quirks her lips, squinting at Maria like she’s still weighing up her options. 

“You can show up hungover, but you can’t still be drunk,” Maria adds firmly. “I have eyes everywhere, I know how Cat’s parties are. You’ll be fine, and your liver will thank you,” Maria grins, patting Dina’s shoulder as she stands. 

Dina huffs, nodding to Maria quietly and leaving. 

“Keep an eye on Ellie tonight, would you?” Joel asks as he steps out of the doorway to let Dina through. 

“Uh, yeah, sure,” she responds, a bit bewildered. 

She must show her surprise on her face as he adds, “She’s mentioned you two have been talking. I know she’s going to that party tonight, and I know you’ve got a level head so make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”

Dina squints at him, thinking, _she’s mentioned me? To you?_ She clears her throat. “I’ll do my best,” Dina agrees, feeling a little awkward. 

She’s worked with Joel before, done more patrols with a quiet man than she could recall, and in general she liked him quite well. He was a staple of the town, like an extension to the unit that was Maria and Tommy’s stable leadership. His absences every few months for two to three weeks at a time were always felt, and despite him staying solidly in Jackson since Ellie’s arrival they hadn’t crossed paths properly since then. 

“I think it’s good that she’s making friends,” Joel nods, offering her a smile. “Abby’s an acquired taste, and Ellie can be abrasive when she wants to be-”

“Ellie is really sweet, actually,” Dina says, without thinking. 

Joel raises an eyebrow, “Is that so?”

Dina nods jerkily, “Yep, anyway I, uh, I’ve gotta- I’m gonna go.” She says awkwardly, lifting a hand to point in the direction of her home as though it was necessary and walking away without waiting for a response. “Bye, Joel,” she calls over her shoulder. “Bye, Maria.”

She doesn’t hear anything as she walks home quickly to get changed, and her cheeks burn with a type of embarrassment she isn’t used to. 

_What the fuck is wrong with me?_ She thinks, _it’s just Joel._

She pulls on the maroon shirt she had mentally picked out earlier in the day, hoping the long sleeves and soft cotton would keep her warm enough for the night without needing extra layers. It’s soft on her skin, and she tries to centre herself as she tucks it into her blue jeans. 

_It’s because of Ellie,_ she thinks absently, leaving the top two buttons of her shirt undone. She pulls her hair up into a bun, fussing with it in the mirror until it looks right. She takes a deep breath. _If Abby’s trying to scare you off and being unsuccessful,_ she tells herself, _then Joel encouraging your friendship shouldn’t weird you out this much._

 _Stop being weird,_ she tells herself stubbornly as she heads downstairs. She opens the front door, contemplating the chill in the air and whether or not she wants to commit to flustering Ellie tonight or not. 

She ends up grabbing the familiar dark jumper from where it lays on the couch; it was plain and comfortable, something Dina and Talia had traded back and forth for some time.

 _You’re getting ahead of herself,_ she thinks on the walk. _Just see how the night goes._

\--

By the time Dina manages to get to the party she isn’t sure what time it is but she knows it’s later than she’d like. She finds Mateo loitering in the front yard with some of his friends, all of them around seventeen - old enough to drink but young enough that Dina confiscates a bottle of whiskey from him on her way into the house. 

She makes him follow her into the kitchen, saying hi to Jesse along the way, and tells Mateo to stick to beer and nothing else. He grumbles under his breath but nods dutifully. 

The only thing on Dina’s mind after that is Ellie, and she finds her quicker than she expected. She places Mateo’s whiskey and her own bottle of vodka on the kitchen bench, looks up and she’s there. It’s like there’s a magnetic pull that leads her eyes to the far corner of the lounge room, across the semi-open space. 

Ellie is sitting on the couch beside Cat, their heads low, knees pressed together. Ellie is in a long sleeve shirt, grey, with one sleeve rolled up, and Cat is cradling her forearm gently in her hands. Cat’s fingers are on Ellie’s bare skin, and Ellie is smiling, shoulders relaxed, hanging onto every word falling from Cat’s lips, and it looks so intimate that Dina is immediately overwhelmed. 

It feels like her stomach has fallen to her feet and she reels for a moment. _Oh._

Dina feels like her fight or flight response is being triggered. She wants to rush over and interrupt and she also wants to flee from the house and go home. Both options feel dumb so she stays rooted in place. _Ellie already likes you, you’ve got nothing to worry about, she says she feels comfortable around you_ , she tells herself, gripping the counter. 

She takes a sip directly from the bottle of vodka, enjoying the burn in her throat. Her eyes narrow, looking at Cat touching Ellie’s forearm. _Haven’t gotten that comfortable though,_ her brain supplies unhelpfully. 

“So what’s her deal?” Abby says curtly beside her, making Dina flinch. She isn’t sure when Abby walked up. 

“What’s it matter?” Dina mumbles, eyes down, grabbing a cup and starting to pour herself a drink properly. 

“I like to know who’s talking to Ellie,” Abby says pointedly. 

“You know Cat, you’ve literally talked before. She’s snarky but she’s nice. You can relax,” Dina replies, deciding to ignore the mixers around her and just sip the vodka straight from her cup. _I’ll slow down later,_ she thinks, _it’ll even out and I’ll be fine for the watch shift tomorrow._

Abby frowns as though Dina had said something bad. “Why do you reckon she’s talking to Ellie?”

“I don’t know, Abby,” Dina says tiredly, shifting her eyes from Ellie with another girl to Abby. “Maybe she thinks she’s cute.”

“That better be it,” Abby mutters. 

Dina squints at her, _the fuck does that even mean?_ “What’s your deal with people talking to Ellie?” She asks instead. 

Abby’s scowl deepens, her harsh eyes staying on Cat. “I’ve seen enough people in Salt Lake throw themselves at Ellie.” 

“I told you before, if you like her then you should just talk to Ellie,” Dina teases, sipping her drink. 

“And I told you before, that’s disgusting,” Abby retorts, looking at Dina now. She grimaces, “I’ve just seen the same story a couple of times. A girl calls her cute, they maybe get to know each other on the surface, Ellie considers opening up, and at the first sign of it the girl pushes.”

“Pushes?”

“Everyone knows Ellie is immune, and people want to see the scar and know the story. How did it happen? When did you know?” Abby’s voice is bitter. “How scared were you?” 

“Fuck,” Dina mumbles, looking back over protectively to check on Ellie, as though she could have somehow moved in that brief moment. 

“It’s fucking _perverse_ ,” Abby hisses. “The last one asked if she tried to _‘end it’_ before she turned,” she chokes out a laugh, eyes shiny and wet. 

“Fuck her,” Dina spits, anger like acid in her veins; she tries to calm herself, sipping her drink and taking deep breaths.

“She was just a kid when it happened,” Abby says bitterly. “A fucking kid having to face turning or not, and they would have been-” Abby takes a deep breath, taking a long drink from her cup.

Dina can feel herself grinding her teeth, the anger feels like it's seeping out of her skin, weariness settling in her bones when she considers the amount of people who had pushed Ellie, and why she was now so reserved. 

“She’s gone through shit,” Abby mutters. 

They are quiet for a moment, watching. Ellie doesn’t seem that reserved with Cat, she’s talking with interest and tracing the ink on Cat’s upper arm now with eagerness. Dina had always admired Cat’s tattoos, both arms covered in dark tattoos up to her bicep, twisting and entwined together. She knows Cat had been attempting to teach Brodie for some time, wanting to extend the sleeves up to her shoulders where she couldn’t reach. She can’t blame Ellie for being interested in them. 

“It’s not that I dislike you,” Abby says, softening, bumping her shoulder against Dina’s softly. “I just don’t trust people. I don’t think a single girl has ever-” She sighs. “I don’t think a single girl in Salt Lake tried to get to know Ellie for Ellie, and not for the story.” 

Dina nods quietly. 

“Ellie is more than capable of handling assholes,” Abby grins, leaning forward and resting her hands on the counter, squinting at Ellie like she wants Ellie to notice her watching. “It’s the pretty ones I need to watch out for.”

“Like me?” Dina smirks. 

“Oh yeah, you could do some damage,” Abby drawls, eyes flicking over to meet Dina’s and taking another sip from her drink. 

“You’re a bit drunk, aren’t you?” Dina laughs, taking in the flush on Abby’s face, the cloudiness in her eyes. _She hides it well,_ Dina thinks, _but she’s definitely drunk._

“Just a little,” Abby says, holding up a hand with her thumb and forefinger almost touching. 

Dina laughs, and when she turns back to look at Ellie she meets green eyes. Ellie is frowning slightly, and she pulls back a bit from Cat, pulling her sleeve down, and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She says something to Cat, standing to leave, and Cat offers her a fist that Ellie squints at before bumping with her own and laughing. Cat lounges back on the couch, smirking at Dina, seemingly unbothered that Ellie was walking away.

As Ellie walks over, Dina realises that her shirt is a v-neck, a lower cut that she’s normally seen her in, revealing just a little bit more skin below her collarbones and the chain of her firefly pendant tucked in her shirt. It’s little more than an inch more skin than Dina’s seen before, but it makes the freckles at the hollow of Ellie’s neck stand out more, and she looks _soft._

 _I maybe should have been a bit slower with the vodka_ , Dina thinks distantly. 

Ellie’s cheeks are flushed, and by the time she reaches Dina and Abby in the kitchen her smile has widened. “Hey,” Ellie greets, voice slurring slightly, she tips back the rest of her drink and licks her lips. “How’s it going?” She leans her hip against the kitchen bench, taking the vodka from beside Dina and pouring herself another drink. 

“Maybe you should have some water,” Abby tells her placatingly. “Just a thought,” she pulls out another cup, filling it with water from the tap and placing it in front of Ellie, who ignores it and Abby entirely. 

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” Ellie tells Dina. 

“Got caught up at the watchtower, shift ran over,” Dina rolls her eyes. 

Ellie is standing close to her, focused on her lips as she talks, and Dina can smell the alcohol on her. “Mmmm,” Ellie hums. “That’s okay, I’ve been talking to people.”

“Yeah, I saw,” Dina says awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. Abby seems to give up on them then, sliding the cup of water slightly closer to Ellie, and patting Ellie’s shoulder as she leaves to bother someone else. “Cat’s pretty cool, huh?” 

“Really cool,” Ellie grins, and Dina’s stomach feels like it's in knots. Ellie is swaying slightly on her feet, tilting forward and Dina has to reach out to steady her before she knocks into her. “Her tattoos are fucking brilliant.”

“Maybe you should have some water?” Dina laughs, holding up the cup that Abby had left and offering it to Ellie, hoping partially to distract her.

“Maybe _you_ should have some alcohol?” Ellie parrots, laughing at her joke, but she drinks the water Dina hands her anyway. 

“I’ll do my best to get on your level,” Dina laughs, rolling her eyes fondly and stepping back from Ellie’s space to make herself a proper drink. _I should probably slow down,_ she thinks as she pours it. _But I won’t._

“I’ve been here for hours, you got a lot of catching up to do,” Ellie grins, her lips a little wet from gulping down the water as quickly as she could. Dina stares at them as she sips her drink, watching as Ellie licks her lips and wipes at the water droplet sliding down her chin. 

_She’s a fucking disaster,_ Dina thinks. _So am I._

“How are you though? Was your day good? Why did the shift run over?” Ellie asks eagerly, babbling almost, the questions blurring together without really a pause for Dina to answer. 

“It was good, I’m good,” Dina replies easily. “Happy to be here.” She starts to properly make herself a drink then, conscious of how many nips of the vodka she’d already consumed. The counter is lined with bottles of cordial of various sizes and colours. Most were made with a citrus base and the leftover fruits from each season by Lark. She could tell which ones Brodie had messed with, berries sitting in the bottom of the bottles and tinting them darkly. She knows from prior experience that they would be saccharine-sweet but pours some into her cup anyway, topping it up with water to dilute the cordial. 

“How are you doing? You had a farm shift today right?” Dina asks. 

“Sure did,” Ellie grins. She clears a space on the kitchen counter, knocking several plastic cups to the ground but thankfully not bumping anything that could break. “It’s boring as fuck at times, but it’s really nice being sore.” She adds, hopping up onto the counter as she speaks.

“You like being sore?” Dina laughs, trying her drink and finding it almost jarringly sweet.

“Well like, I obviously worked out and stuff in Salt Lake. Like Abby dragged me to the gym all the time,” Ellie rolls her eyes. “But I’m never done like a _proper_ day’s work. So it’s a good kinda sore.”

“So you’re enjoying working?” Dina asks, adding more vodka to her drink to try to lower the sweetness. _I’m not trying that cordial again._

Ellie nods emphatically, “God, yeah. I’m keen to do more patrols and less farm rotation, I feel kind of stuck there.”

“It takes a special person to enjoy it,” Dina laughs. “Most people either live for the work, or they are young or new and stuck with it. They need a lot of people on it, especially when it’s time for a harvest, so it’s very reliable work to have.”

“Do you ever do shifts there?” Ellie asks curiously, leaning back against the tiled wall. 

“Not if I can help it, I like the idea of it though, I reckon I could be an agriculturalist,” Dina shrugs, sipping her more palatable drink. “I think it would be really interesting to do the actual planning and care around the plants.”

“What the fuck is a agriculturalist?” Ellie mutters under her breath, and she laughs at herself, holding her cup up as though to toast to Dina but sighs when it’s empty. 

“Like a plant person, the smart people who tell everyone what to do in the greenhouses and plan out the crops for the year,” Dina explains simply, taking Ellie’s cup to make her another drink. “What are you having?”

“Anything you’ll give me,” Ellie slurs, the words sound suggestive enough that Dina turns back to her, arching an eyebrow. Ellie smiles innocently, eyes bright and mischievous. 

Dina quirks her lips, mixing Ellie the same drink as herself, vodka with a bit of the lemon cordial which was more familiar and reasonable. _I’m not touching that comment,_ she thinks, as she under-pours Ellie’s drink. 

Their fingers brush when she hands Ellie the cup, and she leans back against the kitchen island across from Ellie. 

“So what shifts do you do?” Ellie asks.

“I stick to watch, patrol, and the clinic,” Dina grins. “I’m lazy and like to read during the day. I’ll eventually pick up a proper trade, my old patrol partner was super into electronics and he started to teach me before he passed.”

“Oh I’m sorry to hear that-” Ellie starts to say.

“No, no, he was in his seventies and had a fucking great life,” Dina reassures her. “One of the best guys around, a bigger stoner than you somehow.”

Ellie grins. 

“Anyway, I always saw myself trying to go down that route but it’s not really an established trade here,” Dina shrugs. “So I feel like I lost my chance at a mentor.”

“That’s cool as fuck though,” Ellie says. “Like if he’s given you the basics, I bet you could figure things out from there.”

“Mmm,” Dina hums, finishing her drink and pouring herself another without much thought. It's only when she finishes making it that she realises Ellie had been holding her cup out as well. “Nope, I’m getting to your level, you gotta let me catch up!” Dina says playfully, grinning into her drink, and watching Ellie pout. _She’s so fucking cute._

Ellie pouts dramatically for several moments, before starting to swing her legs restlessly on the counter, the back heels of her converse thumping softly against the cabinet doors. 

“I’m not falling for this act,” Dina tells her. 

Ellie huffs, running a hand through her hair, sitting loose on her shoulders, and mussing it up slightly. “Whatever,” Ellie mutters, grinning at Dina and rolling her eyes. “You’re a big nerd,” she says pointedly, the slurred words undercut the sentiment.

“Says the loser who smokes pot and plays video games all day,” Dina cackles. 

“I don’t smoke every day,” Ellie laughs. “I just keep running into you when I’m high.”

Dina smirks, _wonder why that is,_ she thinks. “Suuure,” is what she says, dragging out the word slowly. 

“Anyway, you’re a big nerd,” Ellie repeats flatly before brightening. “You should start your own trade, Joel sells his wood carvings sometimes and like, guitars and stuff. And Cat cuts hair and does tattoos, which is _really_ cool.” 

Dina focuses on her drink, trying to ignore the feeling in her stomach of Ellie mentioning Cat again. 

“So you could like fix things for people,” Ellie says eagerly. “I reckon you could work it out yourself, you’re smart like that, you could repair things you find on patrol and stuff.”

Dina hums noncommittally, smiling at the compliment, “Have you given any thought to what you’re doing?”

“What do you mean?”

Dina shrugs, fidgeting with her cup and avoiding Ellie’s eyes. “You staying in Jackson for a while? Any plans for returning to Salt Lake?”

Ellie bites her lip, she brings her empty cup to her lips and tips it back like she’s searching for something to do with her hands. “I am never going to Salt Lake,” Ellie says firmly, closing her eyes. She slumps there, sitting on the kitchen counter, cheeks flushed, head resting back against the wall. 

Dina nods before she realises Ellie can’t see her.

“Like ever. I’m done with it.” Ellie continues. “I’ve waited a long time to be able to come to Jackson, and I’m here now and I’m fucking _free._ ”

Dina frowns, her mind blearily trying to line the words up with what she’s heard about Salt Lake from Ellie and her experience two years ago when she had travelled there to get the vaccine. Their base was fortified, high walls and stern faces, and Dina mostly remembers the pain of the brand radiating on her wrist and the tense words she had witnessed between Maria and people she was never given the name of. Thinking of Eugene and others like him who had history there they spoke little of, she mumbles, “Another Firefly running away to join Jackson.”

“I’m not a Firefly,” Ellie says with a wry smile. 

Dina’s eyes immediately drop to the chain around Ellie’s neck, tucked under her shirt like always. “Not a Firefly,” she agrees easily, finishing her drink and taking Ellie’s cup to make another. “You’re a part of Jackson now, that’s what counts.”

“Yeah,” Ellie says softly, watching Dina closely. 

“So what are you gonna do in Jackson?” Dina asks her. 

Ellie’s eyes linger on her for a couple of moments without replying, Dina is about to repeat her question when Ellie responds. “I have _no_ idea.”

Dina giggles. 

“It’s like I had no choices whatsoever,” Ellie says softly. “And now I have heaps. Like there’s just all this time that’s mine and I can do whatever I want.”

Dina holds her gaze, before smiling and focusing on making the drinks she had neglected. “And what you want is to smoke and play video games,” she says, diffusing the moment. Ellie huffs, rolling her eyes. 

Dina physically feels fine, not particularly heavy limbed or light headed, but there’s a certain dizziness that she feels when she watches herself pour the next set of drinks, like her arms are moving quicker than she expects and she somehow watches herself spill the drink in slow motion. _I have definitely gotten on Ellie’s level_ , she thinks. _Or somewhere close to it._

“Okay, so you’ve been stuck on the farm rotation for a bit,” Dina says when she turns back to Ellie. “And you’ve done one patrol shift so far, what did you think of it?” She hands Ellie the cup, it’s slightly fuller than it should be, and the liquid sloshes over the rim and onto Dina’s hand when Ellie takes it. 

“I fucking loved it,” Ellie says slowly, watching at Dina licks the alcohol off her hand absently. Her voice trails off slowly until Dina stops, both of them blushing dazedly for a moment before Ellie continues. “It was sooooo good to just hang out with Joel, and fucking get shit done.”

Dina laughs. 

“It was like when we first met but I wasn’t scared, and he wasn’t a dick, so it was perfect,” Ellie says, laughing with Dina. “Just genuinely… just fucking up some runners, and looking at _trees_ , so many trees, and like- fuck man, it felt so good to stretch my legs.”

“Dude, you… you travelled here, you’ve- you’ve seen trees,” Dina giggles. “We have trees in Jackson?”

“No, no, I- like I could count on my hands how many times I got to go outside of the base _properly_ when I was in Salt Lake. And it was always a fucking ordeal,” Ellie says. “So the trip here was fucking amazing, it felt like- ugh, it felt like something.” Ellie nods. “But it’s still so crazy that I can just- I can go outside?! Like they let me go outside, can you believe?”

“I cannot believe,” Dina says with a grin, not entirely following what Ellie was saying. 

“Just crazy, I kept thinking they’d change their mind. Ugh, I know I’ve told you this before but,” Ellie sighs dreamily. “It’s so good to just be in that open space and- and like- be in a forest? Fuck, I drew everything I could on that patrol, Joel was so annoyed at me that he started breaking out dad jokes he’d already told me.”

Dina blinks, contemplating Ellie’s words. _You’ve literally never said this? The fuck? What do you mean you’ve told me this?_

Ellie frowns deeply, hunching her shoulders up to look bigger, clearly trying to imitate Joel. “What did-” she says, with a truly terrible Texan drawl. She laughs, then frowns and starts again, her voice deeper. “What did the two paintings say after a battle?” She pauses, not long enough for Dina to answer, before continuing. “Let’s call this one a _draw_.”

Dina cackles loudly, both at the horrific nature of the joke and Ellie’s attempt at mimicking Joel. 

“Jesus Christ,” Abby groans from the opening to the lounge room, an empty beer bottle in hand. “It hasn’t even been that long, you’re both munted.” 

“I am feeling _fine_ , Abigail,” Ellie says petulantly, poking her tongue out at Abby. Dina attempts to stifle her giggles. 

“You both need water,” Abby mutters under her breath. Dina shuffles aside to allow Abby to grab some questionably clean cups from beside her and fill them with water at the sink. “Please drink water, maybe eat something?” She fusses, handing them both a cup and getting herself one.

“I am also feeling fine,” Dina says slowly, trying to make sure her words are clear and not slurred together. She doesn’t do a good job of it with the pitying look Abby gives her. “Abigail,” Dina adds, after too long a pause for it to make sense. 

Abby glares at Ellie, unnecessarily leaning in close to say loudly, “Thanks for that, Eleanor.” 

“Eleanor?!” Dina exclaims. 

“That is _not_ my name,” Ellie hisses, reaching forward to flick Abby’s right ear sharply. “I’ll fuck you up!” Abby grimaces at the contact, holding her ear tenderly like it hurt more than Dina would imagine it to. 

“Eleanor?” Dina repeats incredulously. “That is a _gift_ , thank you,” she says seriously to Abby. 

“Yeah, thanks Abs, you’re a real fucking champ,” Ellie mutters bitterly.

“Whatever,” Abby says. “You two gonna hide in here the entire fucking night or actually be social? I know she won’t shut up when she drinks, but Dina, you can just walk away,” she continues, grabbing their bottle of vodka and flashing them a grin as she leaves. 

Dina grins at Ellie. “Eleanor,” she repeats brightly, watching Ellie wince at her words. 

“Oh,” Abby says, popping her head back into the kitchen. “And just because you’re drunk, doesn’t mean you have to keep drinking.” 

Ellie flips her off and turns back to Dina without responding. Dina grins, only hearing Abby huff and disappear again distantly. 

“We should probably have a bit of a break from alcohol, I’m-” Dina blinks. “I don’t know even how much I’ve drunk.” Her tongue feels heavy and her hands don’t quite feel like her own. She has no idea how long she’s been in the kitchen with Ellie; it could have been minutes or hours. Distantly, Dina realises she has definitely drunk too much for someone who has a watch shift tomorrow.

“Yeah,” Ellie sighs happily, “Parties are _so_ fun. This is so fun.”

They grin at each other blankly, only speaking again when someone comes into the kitchen to grab a couple more bottles of spirits to take out the front. “We should probably join the others though,” Dina says, straightening up and stretching out her arms. “How long have we been in here?”

“Mmmm,” Ellie hums vaguely, hopping off the counter and flailing as her knees give out under her. In the tight space, Dina’s hands are quickly under her arms catching her solidly before she falls. “Fuck,” Ellie mumbles to herself.

“You good?” Dina laughs, waiting for Ellie to nod and stand more steadily. 

“So good,” Ellie slurs, leaning in to Dina. “Just so good.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> House parties are a liminal space and we all know it. Also yes, I’m using aussie slang because I’ve only been to aussie house parties. What of it?  
> Genuinely though, I’m feeling nostalgic for a good house party (especially the long drunk chats in the kitchen). This was meant to be kept to one chapter but I slipped and now it’s two. And to think, this is the just start of their night.  
> Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for dropping off the face of the planet, things got hectic and I had to put my head down for a bit. I am back and I am writing and there shouldn't be such a big delay in updating again. Hope you enjoy the chapter :)  
> Gracefully beta'd once again by my gf.  
> My tumblr user: @respectablesentiment
> 
> Brief disclaimer: drinking this irresponsibly and getting this drunk can and will lead to regrets, so like... please take care of yourselves and your livers.

Ellie is still unsteady when they move to the lounge room to join the group that had formed there. Dina allows Ellie to lead, but she guides her with a hand on Ellie’s lower back after her second stumble. Dina’s mind is so stuck on the warmth of Ellie’s body through her clothes that she’s a bit stunned when it disappears.

Ellie flings herself onto the middle of the couch, pulling her legs up haphazardly and half curling into Abby’s side. It takes her a moment to process that there isn’t any room to join Ellie on the couch. Abby and Jesse sit on either end, Ellie wedged between them, leaning on Abby. Abby rolls her eyes at Ellie’s actions but smirks up at Dina when Dina’s face falls. Jesse grimaces like he’s sorry he’s even present; he’s nursing a beer in his hand, half finished and no longer cold. 

“Babe?” Cat repeats distantly, and Dina frowns when she turns to Cat and realises she’s being spoken to. Cat has a feral smile on her lips, lounging back in the single armchair beside the couch, legs draped over the side like she’s never sat in a chair properly in her life. 

Bella, Adam and Sidney - three regulars to Cat’s parties - occupy the three bean bags around the coffee table, with Laura and Mateo sitting cross legged in the empty space between them. Mateo finishes his drink quickly as Dina approaches, as though he’s concerned she’ll confiscate it again. 

“Babe, Dina,” Cat repeats, slightly louder now. “Babe?

“Huh?” Dina asks, looking at Cat properly now. 

“Hey,” Cat says cheekily, waving. 

Dina narrows her eyes. 

“If you want a seat, there’s always room for you on my lap,” Cat adds, straightening in her seat and patting her lap suggestively. 

Dina can see Ellie frowning a little in the corner of her eye and for a very brief moment her drunk mind considers taking Cat’s offer to try to call Cat on her bluff, but she doesn’t want things to seem unclear with Ellie. 

Dina must take too long to respond as Cat continues, “Alternatively, I can give you this seat and just sit on Ellie’s lap.” She flashes a smile at Ellie, adding, “You wouldn’t mind would you, babe?”

“I’m sorry,” Abby chimes in dully, not giving Ellie the chance to respond. “Who exactly are you trying to flirt with right now?”

“Why? Do you feel left out, darling?” Cat replies. 

“Abby, don’t be sad,” Brodie calls, strolling back to join the group and planting himself firmly on Abby’s lap. “I’m here for you,” he says sincerely, stroking the closely cropped hair on the side of her head, the shit-eating grin on his face undermining his sentiment. 

“Yeah, you can stay where you are, Cat,” Dina says, trying to keep her voice steady and clear of her ire. “I’m good.” She rolls her eyes, shaking her head and starting to walk to the bathroom for a brief reprieve.  _ I’m not gonna sink to her level,  _ she tells herself. 

“Wait, don’t leave,” Ellie calls out from behind her, sitting up and looking as though she’s about to stumble after her. 

Dina waves her off with a smile. “Bathroom, I’ll be back,” she laughs. 

\--

Dina doesn’t realise just how drunk she is until after she flushes the toilet, staring at herself in the mirror in the dim light.  _ Fuck.  _

_ Oh god, tomorrow is going to suck,  _ she thinks, washing her hands. 

_ I am so gone _ . She grips the bathroom counter. 

_ What happened to taking it easy?  _ She leans forward, grinning at her reflection lazily. 

“I am so drunk,” Dina says, unable to stop herself from giggling.  _ And it’s so hot in here.  _

She ends up struggling so much in taking off her jumper that she half pulls out her bun and redoes it sloppily. 

_ That’s better _ , she thinks, trying to neaten her hair. Her cheeks are red and she decides it feels really nice to press her cold hands to her face.  _ Yes, that feels so nice. _

_ Just gotta ignore Cat, keep talking to Ellie,  _ she thinks.  _ Ellie is really cool.  _

_ Fuck, Ellie is really cool. _

She undoes another button on her shirt before rejoining the party.  _ Why the fuck not?  _

\--

Jesse hops up as soon as he sees her approach. He nods to her pointedly, holding up his empty beer bottle and announcing he’s getting another drink. 

Dina takes his seat, not feeling entirely sure if that’s what he meant, but definitely not bothered by stealing it to sit beside Ellie. Ellie shuffles closer almost immediately as Dina sits down, leaning against Dina instead of Abby, and Dina grins but doesn’t acknowledge it. Brodie winks at her from his place on Abby’s lap, his side pressed into her chest, and his legs draped over her lap. Dina ignores him and tries to tune back into whatever conversation is happening. 

“Yeah, I don’t know what to tell you,” Adam shrugs. “I’ve always wanted to do something meaningful, there’s so much suffering in the world. I think being a Firefly would be really noble.” His words are undercut by the heaviness of the beer on his breath and a bletch that even Sidney, his long-term girlfriend, winces at.

_ Oh god, I’m too drunk to listen to this,  _ Dina thinks blearily. 

“I don’t think the Fireflies are as noble as you think,” Cat says plainly. “No offense, darling,” she adds casually, looking over to disinterested Abby on the couch.

Ellie’s head drops onto Dina’s shoulder. Her cheek is warm and Dina can feel it through her shirt. She can tell Ellie’s smiling from the movement in her cheek, and she’s humming softly under her breath.  _ Okay, she’s probably not listening.  _

“I mean, if you ignore their tactics, the Fireflies really are achieving what they set out to do,” Adam tries to reason.

“Maybe you can rationalise what the Fireflies do because you’re idealistic,” Cat says airily, taking a long drag from a joint before passing it back to Bella. “They clearly created a cure, and they’ve clearly started to spread it. No one is arguing with that. But if you spoke with some ex-Fireflies in Jackson about their past then maybe you’d have a clearer picture of what their tactics are.”

_ She’s not wrong.  _

“Well, maybe only the people not cut out for it leave,” Sidney replies, turning to Ellie. “Why did you two leave?”

“I’m here because of Ellie,” Abby says noncommittally, sipping her beer and adjusting Brodie on her lap. 

“And why is Ellie here?” Sidney asks.

The group pauses waiting for Ellie to respond, but she doesn’t lift her head from Dina’s shoulder. Her face is pointed down and for a moment Dina is worried Ellie has fallen asleep.

“Ell,” Abby says sharply, elbowing Ellie in her side and making her flinch and sit upright. “Don’t be a perv,” Abby attempts to whisper, but Dina hears it regardless. 

Dina feels a bit lost until she realises that Ellie’s head resting on her shoulder, pointed down for the better part of the last couple of minutes, likely gave her an ample view down her partially undone shirt. She grins to herself as Ellie’s face turns a deeper red, and Dina can see the colour bright at the tips of Ellie’s ears and the back of her neck. 

“What? I wasn’t,” Ellie mumbles to Abby, elbowing her back, and sitting back against the couch, eyes squeezed shut. 

Dina rubs Ellie’s knee comfortingly, shifting to follow Ellie’s move and pressing herself back against Ellie’s side. “Hope you enjoyed the view,” Dina whispers into Ellie’s ear, making Ellie’s blush deepen further. 

“So Ellie, why did you leave the Fireflies?” Sidney repeats. 

Ellie blinks a couple times blankly and only responds after Sidney asks the question the third time. “How the fuck did that come up,” she mutters under her breath, rubbing her eyes. She shrugs, offering flatly “Never was a Firefly, I did my part and then left.”

“That’s right, you’re the  _ immune girl _ ,” Adam says, snapping his fingers as though it was something he forgot and not something he had likely planned to bring up. “The one and only.” 

“She’s not, actually,” Dina interjects, trying to keep her words from slurring. 

Adam raises an eyebrow and waits for her to continue; Dina can see Cat smiling into her drink. 

“Oh, didn’t you know?” Dina asks, trying to keep her voice serious. “I’m immune too.”

Adam huffs but Sidney manages to laugh with the group. Dina can feel Ellie relax against her side and she smiles when Ellie puts her hand on top of Dina’s. 

“I mean, that isn’t a proven fact,” Cat laughs. “The only people we really know are immune here are Ellie and Brodie.”

“Bella too,” Mateo adds from beside the older girl. Bella is fully reclined, almost horizontal on the beanbag beside him. The joint she had been sharing with Cat was finished, sitting on the table, and she was in the process of lighting another when Mateo spoke. 

“Oh yeah, me too,” Bella says dazedly, nodding along and holding up her right hand to show the pink scar of a bite mark curled around her palm. She wiggles her fingers for a moment before refocusing on lighting up.

“Oh fuck,” Brodie says in interest, almost falling off Abby’s lap when he leans forward to get a good view of it. “I forgot about that.”

“It wasn’t a big deal,” Bella waves him off. 

Mateo frowns like he wants to disagree but he pauses when Bella ruffles his hair gently and shushes him. She focuses back on the ceiling, content to smoke silently and just listen to the group. He leans in to her touch, blushing slightly and definitely tipsy. It was well-known that he had a crush on her, but Bella saw the three years between them as a generational gap and was likely the only one not to notice. Bella exclusively had eyes for Laura and that had unfortunately not clicked for Mateo yet. 

“I wonder if it ever fails,” Adam says, rubbing the brand on his wrist. “There haven’t really been that maybe people who’ve tested it.” 

Dina fights the urge to rub her wrist, turning her hand over to interlace her fingers with Ellie’s instead. Ellie’s eyes are dropped to her lap and Abby seems more focused on Brodie than on the conversation. 

“I imagine there was an extensive testing period,” Jesse interjects, returning from the kitchen with a beer in his hand. “Anyway, this is a bit fucking heavy, isn’t it?”

“I agree with you completely,” Brodie says, sitting up in Abby’s lap and grinning wickedly. 

“Oh no,” Jesse says flatly, setting his drink down. 

“It’s that time of night,” Brodie calls out excitedly, trying to project his voice. He hops off of Abby’s lap and heads into the kitchen. 

“What is he-” Ellie starts to mumble against Dina’s shoulder, Dina can feel her lips moving against the fabric of her shirt. 

“We’re playing spin the bottle,” Brodie announces dramatically as he returns, gulping down the remains of a wine bottle and placing it heavily on the coffee table between them. “Mateo, go, no children.”

Mateo huffs, pulling himself up with only a brief falter and reaching for his glass on the table. Dina grabs it before he’s able to, throwing back the whiskey and giving him a pointed look. “Beer only, please.” 

He rolls his eyes at her and leaves to rejoin the other group, stumbling past Jesse putting on his coat. 

The whiskey burns in Dina’s throat, and her stomach flops uncomfortably when she meets Cat’s gaze and sees her smirk.  _ Jesus Christ.  _

Dina looks toward Ellie, squeezing her knee, unsure how to get them out of the situation or to discourage Ellie when she’s like this.  _ I’m too drunk for this.  _

“You’re in, Ellie? You can go first?” Brodie offers enthusiastically, sitting on the ground where Mateo had been, strategically opposite from Abby in the circle. 

“Oh,” Ellie blinks, sitting up more and looking around the group slowly. “I can’t, I’m sorry,” she grins crookedly. “There’s just too many ways this could go horribly wrong.”

“Horribly wrong?” Dina giggles, feeling relieved. “How so?”

“It could land on a  _ boy, _ ” Ellie shrugs. “Or,” she pauses, leaning closer toward Dina for dramatic effect. “It could land on  _ Abby _ ,” she says in an exaggerated whisper. 

“I’m very fine with Ellie sitting out,” Abby says with a laugh.

Ellie stands, stretching her arms out blindly and almost smacking Abby in doing so. 

Dina follows her lead, only then noticing that Jesse had buttoned on his coat and turning to duck out quietly. “You’re off?”

“Definitely,” he nods quietly. “Make good choices,” he adds with a small smile, before slipping away.

She salutes him lazily, ignoring the jeers from the circle that they had received for leaving.

Dina picks up his drink out of habit, but Ellie’s hand on her shoulder stops her. “Thought we were taking a break from drinking?”

“You’re right, you’re right,” Dina concedes easily, giving up on the drink. 

“Dina’s a drink stealer,” Cat calls from the circle. “She’s very sneaky, Ellie. Keep a close eye on her.”

Ellie nods, her eyes are still dazed and cheeks flushed, but Cat’s statement seems to make more sense to Ellie than to Dina. 

“Wh-” Dina begins to say.

“Alright, let’s go,” Ellie slurs, bumping into Dina and taking her arm. Ellie leads her through the house, ignoring the group’s calls behind them. “Come on, come on,” Ellie mumbles, stumbling as they walk. 

“Where are we going?” Dina laughs, but she follows regardless, watching with a lazy grin as Ellie proceeds to open every door she comes across. 

“I’ll show you when we get there,” Ellie replies, opening the door to the bathroom and frowning at it like it has offended her personally. She turns to Dina with a frown, “I’m sorry if you wanted to play the game, we can go back?”

“No,” Dina says quickly. “It’s all good, I’ve kissed enough people here anyway.” 

“Really?” Ellie asks curiously, tugging her further along. 

“It’s a small town, there’s more people I’ve kissed than I haven’t at this party. Especially when Brodie constantly brings that game up,” Dina laughs. 

“Have you kissed Brodie?” Ellie asks curiously. 

“Oh yeah, for sure, at this house, in that spot, playing that game,” Dina cackles. 

“Wait,” Ellie giggles, looking over her shoulder back at Dina. “So, is there anyone here you haven’t kissed?”

“I haven’t kissed you,” Dina mutters under her breath. Ellie freezes and Dina knocks solidly into her back, both of them stumbling in the hallway. Dina’s heart drops through her chest,  _ fuck, did she hear that? _

Ellie turns to her, eyes wide, face serious. “Have you-” She frowns. “Have you kissed Abby?”

Dina laughs so hard she can feel her eyes burning with unshed tears. 

“Stop laughing,” Ellie pouts. 

“I haven't kissed Abby, don’t worry,” Dina replies. “That’s definitely not on the cards.”

Ellie nods, flinging open the back door as dramatically as the others. “Fucking finally!” She exclaims, letting go of Dina to rush forward and twirl in the night air with her arms stretched out. 

_ She looks absolutely smashed,  _ Dina thinks to herself, taking in the sight of Ellie’s dopey grin.  _ No more alcohol.  _

_ None.  _

Ellie spins until she’s dizzy, stumbling one too many times and ending up sprawled quite happily on the grass on her back. “Dina, Dina, Dina,” she chants, reaching up for Dina. “Come here.” 

“I’m here, calm down,” Dina chuckles, sitting down next to her. 

“You’ve got to lie down to get the full effect,” Ellie insists. 

Dina rolls her eyes affectionately, lying down on her back next to Ellie. The distance between them is minimal, they aren’t touching but she’s close enough that she can feel the heat of Ellie’s body. 

“So you’ve kissed a lot of people at this party,” Ellie says with a laugh, stretching out her legs idly. 

“No one gross,” Dina shushes her, turning on her side to face Ellie. The glow of the lights from the house half illuminates their faces, and Ellie’s eyes are twinkling with the stars.  _ Fuck, she’s so pretty.  _

“So you’ve kissed a lot of people at this party,” Ellie repeats, a lazy smile on her lips. 

“Yes,” Dina groans. 

“But you haven’t kissed Abby?” Ellie clarifies needlessly. 

“I have not kissed Abby,” Dina confirms emphatically. 

“And you don’t plan to?” Ellie grins, turning her head to face Dina and raising an eyebrow. 

“You are so dumb,” Dina huffs, rolling her eyes, and shuffling a little closer to Ellie. 

“Anyone you plan to?”

“Perhaps,” Dina says slyly. 

“You’ll have to let me know?” Ellie asks playfully. 

“Mmm I’ll have to.” Dina shifts, not really moving much but adjusting on her side so her hip is more comfortable pressing into the ground, her stomach flops as she does so.  _ I should not have had Mateo’s drink.  _ “Fuck, I’ve had too much to drink,” she groans. 

“I did try to stop you.” 

Dina huffs, watching as Ellie moves to lie on her side to face Dina. The ground is cold underneath them, a chill in the air that her jacket would have protected her from, but she feels a little overheated as Ellie’s closeness. 

“You did this to yourself,” Ellie says. 

A quiet moment passes between them as they lie face to face, looking at each other in the half light intensely before Dina asks, “How are you doing?” 

“I  _ am _ ,” Ellie says blankly, blinking slowly. 

“You’re drunk, aren’t you, Freckles?” Dina laughs. 

Ellie hums. “Did you know-,” Ellie says so softly it makes Dina feel breathless, her laughter dying in her throat. Ellie reaches up, fingers hovering near Dina’s face, “That you have freckles too?” She mumbles the words, almost slurring together completely, and when she touches Dina’s cheek her fingertips are clumsy but careful, stroking her cheek, cupping her jaw, thumb brushing her skin. 

Dina feels pinned, trapped, elated and overwhelmed. The alcohol has settled in her limbs, weighing her down, but at the same time gravity seems weaker, and she feels like she’s floating a foot above the ground. She can’t see Ellie clearly in the half light, her eyes no longer green but dark, small pools of light reflected in them. 

“I like your freckles,” Ellie tells her sincerely, scooting closer and letting her hand trail down Dina’s neck. She comes close enough that Dina’s hand reaches out and rests on Ellie’s hip, her shirt has ridden up a little and Dina is surprised when she touches warm skin and not soft cotton. 

Ellie’s so close now, their chests together, their noses touching, and for a moment Dina feels scared that Ellie is going to kiss her. 

_ This is what you want _ , Dina tells herself, but her heart is hammering hard enough in her chest that she feels a little too scared to be comfortable, the moment is soft and earnest but weighed down by their intoxication. Ellie’s smile is lazy, her eyes dazed; the smell of alcohol on her breath is strong and Dina lost track of time long ago. 

Ellie’s nose rubs against hers, nuzzling their faces together with a small giggle. Her lips find Dina’s cheek, placing a lingering and slightly wet kiss there. Dina kisses her forehead softly in return. 

Ellie hums, low in her throat, and they rest their foreheads together. Dina rubs the curve of Ellie’s hipbone with her thumb.  _ This is really nice _ , Dina thinks as she hums,  _ her skin is so soft.  _

Ellie’s hand slides slowly forward to grab around the base of Dina’s neck and scratch at her hair. Dina tries to stay very still so Ellie doesn’t stop. Her eyes drift shut, and the tingles from Ellie’s touch feel a little like muted fireworks in her head _.  _

She doesn’t fall asleep but her mind drifts. She opens her eyes occasionally to steal a glimpse at Ellie and Ellie’s eyes are always on hers, a small dopey smile on her lips.

She doesn’t know how long they spend lying there in comfortable silence, closer than they’ve ever been before, and Dina feels a bit like she’s drowning in the intimacy of her touch. 

“So beautiful,” she hears distantly, said so softly that it takes her several moments to decipher the words Ellie had mumbled to herself.

Dina moves her hand in response, dipping it further under Ellie’s shirt to slide around her side, pressing the small of her back and pulling Ellie closer to her. 

_ Her skin is so soft, what the fuck _ , she thinks, stroking the small of Ellie’s back softly. 

“Is nice,” she hears Ellie mumble, feeling Ellie stretch against her to press a kiss on her forehead. “This is so good,” Ellie repeats.

_ She’s right, this is so good. _

_ I want to stay here forever. _

\--

They get interrupted. It’s inevitable. 

Dina sits up, blinking blearily, the world spinning around her like she had moved too quickly despite the air feeling thick like water. Dina isn’t sure whether it's the sounds coming from behind her or the sudden movement that make her feel nauseous. She tries to stay as still as she can, sucking in deep breaths slowly to keep herself level. 

Mateo is puking near the back door, and she thinks it might be Laura who’s rubbing his back sympathetically. 

Ellie yawns from beside her, rolling onto her back and slinging an arm over her eyes as if to block the moonlight. 

The light above the backdoor turns on, Cat popping her head out to pass Laura a glass of water for Mateo before disappearing. 

Ellie sits up, leaning her head on Dina’s shoulder and pressing a kiss there. 

Before Dina can say anything, Ellie stiffens beside her. 

“Oh my god,” Ellie gasps, eyes wide as she notices the plants lining the garden. “Is that-”

Dina rolls her eyes, very familiar with Cat and Brodie’s cannabis set up. She had helped them haul most of Eugene’s equipment from the old library, taking a fair cut of the supply, and had spent one too many evenings here, smoking in the backyard. The plants were potted rather than in the ground, and were moved protectively inside when the weather turned cold.

“Oh, this is beautiful,” Ellie says sincerely, and she honestly sounds so distressed that Dina looks at her in concern. 

“You good, dude?” Dina laughs, her chest hurting at the effort,  _ god I’m gone.  _

“We have to tell her,” Ellie says seriously, her rumpled hair and vacant eyes undermining her tone as she stumbles to her feet. “We have to.”

“What?” Dina asks, letting Ellie take her hand and help her up off the ground and into the house. Mateo and Laura have disappeared from the yard. She focuses on the warmth of Ellie’s hand in hers, trying to put one foot in front of the other until she realises she’s no longer being led. 

Her hand is empty. 

She looks up and Ellie’s in front of her, her hands on Cat’s shoulders, a feral grin on Cat’s face as she nods to a babbling Ellie. 

“You’re so good, so many plants,” Ellie tells her. “Did you know you have that many plants?”

“I know, babe, it’s a wonderful sight,” Cat says brightly, evidently more sober than Dina and Ellie. She’s trying to placate Ellie somehow, Dina understands this distantly, but the sight of Ellie’s hands on Cat’s shoulders, and Cat’s hands coming to rest on Ellie’s  _ hips  _ makes her fucking burn. 

She feels like her brain is screaming, like it's stalling trying to catch up from lying on the ground outside and standing here watching Cat touch Ellie like this. The fact that Ellie is unsteady on her feet and swaying back and forth, Cat’s hands serving to stabilise her and stop Ellie from crashing into her, doesn’t really calm her down.

Before either of them can turn back and see how her face crumples, Dina slips into the bathroom off the hallway, locking the door securely behind her. She presses her back to the door, rubbing her face with her hands, the nausea from sitting up too quickly outside making itself known again. She takes a deep breath, moving to the sink to wash her face, the water cold but soothing on her flushed cheeks. 

She spends several minutes just looking at herself in the mirror, hunched over the sink, focusing on her breathing and willing herself not to throw up. 

Her brain unhelpfully supplies a mental image of Cat holding Ellie, and she shakes her head physically as though it’ll help to clear her mind. 

_ She said she liked my freckles,  _ she tells herself.  __

_ Cat doesn’t even have freckles.  _ Dina straightens, standing upright and drying her face on a towel.  _ Ellie likes me. I know she fucking likes me.  _

She forces herself to smile in the mirror, trying to smooth down her hair and redoing her bun.  _ Literally I have no idea how long we were outside, but that was fucking gay.  _

She squints at herself as she finishes her hair, unsure if her hair is actually neater or messier than before.  _ That was like the third base of cuddling.  _

She squares her shoulders, nodding to herself in the mirror.  _ I fucking got this, I’m drunk, she’s drunk, we’re having a nice time.  _

Her confidence falters as she opens the door to return outside; Ellie and Cat are not at the end of the hallway where she had left them. 

She walks through the house searching, grimacing at the sight of Brodie literally draped over Abby on the couch, her hands curled possessively around his butt. Bella was the only other person in the lounge room still, taking a hit off a bong and giving Dina a thumbs up when Dina looked over. She blows smoke rings toward Dina, seemingly unable to hear the moans coming from Brodie several feet from where she lounges on her bean bag. From how empty the house is, Dina can tell several people have headed home, although she can still hear the sound of chatter and laughing from the front yard. 

Dina shakes her head and leaves her to it. 

She finds Ellie in the kitchen, sitting on the ground leaning against the counter, legs splayed out in front of her, sipping a glass of water slowly. 

Dina grins, watching her from the doorway. 

“I’ve lost Dina,” Ellie is saying morosely, and Dina leans forward to see that she’s speaking to Mateo. 

“That’s so sad,” he mumbles sympathetically, chewing something loudly. 

“I know, she was here and then she wasn’t,” Ellie says, gulping down some more of her water. “Cat said she’d find her.”

“No need, I’m here,” Dina says, her mind struggling to catch up with her mouth. Ellie splutters, almost dropping her cup and spilling water over herself.

“Babes, you are both disasters,” Cat says firmly from the other entryway at the end of the kitchen. She’s clearly amused at the sight of Ellie. “Dina, this water is for you. Where did you even go before?” She hands Dina the cup she was holding, not waiting for her to answer before bending down to touch Mateo’s shoulder. “You good, dude? Feeling better?”

“Bread is so good,” Mateo moans, cradling two-thirds of a loaf of bread in his lap. He plucks at the centre of the loaf, shoving tufts of bread into his mouth lethargically.

Dina can see that the loaf is almost hollowed out from his actions, the crust only serving as a shell. She sits beside Ellie, who grins at her dopily, only wiping at the water on her chin when Dina looks at her. 

Cat looks at the three of them, rumpled and grinning, and sighs. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” she says dismissively as she heads through the kitchen, throwing a tea towel absently at Ellie’s face as she passes. “Everyone here is messy as shit.” Dina can hear her groan loudly as she enters the lounge room, most likely at the sight of Brodie and Abby on the couch. 

“Do you want some bread?” Mateo mumbles blearily, holding the loaf out to Dina. 

“I’m good, hun,” she tells him, “You just eat.”

“Okay,” he replies, focusing back on the bread.

Ellie moves closer, leaning her head on Dina’s shoulder and yawning quietly. Dina grins at the little squeak at the end of it, and presses a kiss to Ellie’s head. 

She manages to drink some of the water and briefly considers trying to find some food. 

They sit silently for a while, watching Mateo with interest as he scratches at the insides of the now fully-hollow loaf. 

“Are Cat’s parties always like this?” Ellie asks.

“I mean… we can drink less at the next one,” Dina suggests, laughing at her own words. 

“You’d probably have a lot more fun if you didn’t get shit-faced in the kitchen and then sleep on the ground outside for fucking ages,” Cat says from the doorway. “You two were barely social.”

“I was  _ so  _ social,” Ellie protests. “I talked to more people than I have since I arrived in Jackson.”

“You did great at the start of the party, babe, I agree,” Cat nods. “But Dina… we’ve barely hung out tonight. I  _ miss  _ you.”

Dina rolls her eyes. “You see me all the time.”

“And it’s never enough,” Cat says, pouring herself a nip of whiskey and leaning back against the counter. “My last party went so differently.”

Dina groans. 

“You were so much more  _ present _ ,” Cat says suggestively. 

Ellie nods along like she understands but she couldn’t. Cat’s last party had been at least six weeks back, just before Ellie had arrived in Jackson. Cat and Dina had spent the latter half of the party making out, which wasn’t necessarily uncommon throughout their friendship, but definitely unnecessary to discuss now.

“We really  _ connected _ ,” Cat says slyly, winking as Dina glares at her. 

“Yeah, you were so late,” Ellie agrees. “You gotta come earlier for the next one.”

Cat tries to hide her laugh at Ellie’s eagerness. “You’ll definitely at least  _ come  _ at the next one.”

“Well yeah, of course she has to come,” Ellie says dismissively. “I’m saying you need to come for the whole party,” Ellie attempts to clarify, waving a hand haphazardly in the air like it adds to her point. 

Dina bites her lip to stop herself from laughing, while Cat openly chuckles. She tries to mouth the words ‘I hate you’ to Cat but it only succeeds in making her laugh harder.

“I don’t get it,” Ellie mutters. She lifts her head from Dina’s shoulder to look up at her inquisitively. 

“Cat’s being dumb,” Dina explains away. “You had a good time tonight, though?” 

“Yeah,” Ellie grins. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this drunk.”

“Yeah, I get that vibe,” Cat laughs. “Abby was a bit gone before as well,” she turns back to check on the lounge room behind her and when she faces them again her nose is wrinkled with disgust. “She sobered up a while back, said she had ‘plans’ for tonight.”

“Ugh,” Ellie grimaces. 

“Good for her,” Dina laughs. 

“Good for Brodie,” Cat replies, holding her glass up as though toasting him and then finishing it in one gulp. She blows out a long breath before grinning at them again. “So, do either of you need a bed for the night?”

“That’s so nice-” Ellie begins to say.

“Cause mine is warm and offers perks,” Cat interjects before Ellie can finish. 

“I think we’re good,” Dina says, narrowing her eyes at Cat and placing a hand possessively on Ellie’s thigh beside her. 

Cat raises an eyebrow at her, holding her gaze as if to challenge her somehow. 

“We’re good,” Dina repeats flatly, finishing her water. 

“Wait, what are the-” Ellie begins to ask but stops when it seems to click in her head, and instead she ends up giggling. 

“She’s pretty goofy when she’s drunk,” Cat comments. “Talkative too.”

“My bed is also very warm,” Ellie says to Dina with a lopsided smile. 

“I quite like drunk Ellie,” Cat states plainly. 

Dina shoots her a dirty look. 

“I like drunk me, too,” Ellie laughs. 

Dina groans as she stumbles to her feet; she holds her hands out for Ellie to grab and helps her up as well. “I think it’s time for drunk Ellie to go to bed,” Dina says, focusing on Ellie with her back pointedly turned to Cat. 

“Thanks for tonight, Cat,” Dina says politely. “We’ll get out of your hair.”

“Come back anytime,” Cat says with a sly wave. She nods to Ellie as they pass her in the doorway. “See you soon, Ellie.” 

“You got it,” Ellie mumbles, giving Cat a half salute, but clearly focusing mostly on walking without stumbling. 

Dina guides Ellie out of the house with a relatively steady hand on her lower back. She ends up wrapping an arm around her waist after Ellie’s second stumble, trying to help keep her steady despite probably needing the help herself. 

“Tonight was so good,” Ellie says as they leave the yard, Dina waving absently to the stragglers smoking on the porch. “I’ve never really been to a house party before.”

“What?” Dina asks, a little stunned. “Weren’t there house parties in Salt Lake?”

“Yeah, there were,” Ellie says. “But I never got to go to any.” 

“Why not?” Dina stumbles over her feet, almost face planting onto the ground until Ellie corrects her. They end up holding hands, fingers intertwined, but their unsteady movement results in their shoulders knocking together every couple of steps. 

“I was sort of locked away when I first arrived, put in a bubble,” she spreads her arms out for emphasis, hand still holding Dina’s tightly, wrenching her arm forward with the movement. “Nothing but tests and tests and tests for  _ forever _ .”

“So you didn’t get to do anything fun?”

“I didn’t get to do anything at all,” Ellie laughs bitterly. “I was locked in my room. Abby could take me to the gym and to the library and to the lab for my tests. But that was it!”

“Jesus.”

“We didn’t like each other at first either, she was such a dick. And then she became less of a dick,” Ellie shrugs. 

“Is that why you’re such a pothead here in Jackson?” Dina laughs, almost knocking Ellie over as she bumps into her. 

“Abby started smuggling me shit ages ago,” Ellie laughs. “They kept doing testing for ages after they sorted out the vaccine,” she frowns. “There was like this thing in my blood cells so they needed that for a while to make more samples, and then they had excuses about neurolog- neuro- neurological testing and like their fucking reports and-.” She rubs at her face with her free hand. “They always got so mad when I had anything in my system.” 

“And now you don’t owe anyone shit,” Dina says loudly, almost shouting in the quiet street. 

“I can get as fucked up as I wanna get,” Ellie says, grinning dopily. 

“And you got fucked up,” Dina cackles. 

“You got fucked up too,” Ellie laughs, shoving Dina gently. At any other time Dina could have steadied herself, but she’s on the ground before she even processes Ellie’s movement. 

“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” Ellie says, trying to stifle her laughter unsuccessfully. 

“You suck,” Dina says playfully. “You fucking suck.” She’s fully sprawled on the ground, half on her side, and lays her head down, staring at the sky, trying to look sullen despite still laughing. 

“You gonna get up?” Ellie asks, tapping Dina’s foot with her own. 

“Wow,” Dina says, lifting her head to scowl at Ellie. “And now you’re kicking me when I’m down.”

“Don’t be a dick,” Ellie snorts. “Come on,” she holds her hands out to Dina, opening and closing them repeatedly to insist Dina get up. 

“Ugh, okay,” Dina reaches up, letting Ellie help her to her feet. “I won’t forget this.”

“What? You being a baby?” Ellie asks teasingly. 

“You being a bully.”

“Ooft,” Ellie holds a hand to her heart dramatically. “You wound me.” 

They’re at Ellie’s home before Dina realises it. Ellie continues walking ahead despite Dina stopping at her gate. “Ellie?” Dina calls. 

“Huh?” Ellie whirls around. “Whatcha doing?”

“This is your home,” Dina says, pointing at the house. “You live here, I walked you home.”

“Oh,” Ellie blinks before shaking her head. “No, I’m walking you home.”

“I’ve already walked you home, this is literally your house,” Dina insists. 

“Well, if you’ve walked me home,” Ellie says slowly, walking forward to take Dina’s hands in hers. “Then it's only fair that I get to walk you home too,” she tugs her forward, grinning playfully and pulling Dina in the direction of her home. 

“That makes no sense,” Dina says, laughing but letting Ellie have her way. 

“It makes perfect sense,” Ellie grins, swinging their clasped hands backwards and forwards between them in a wide arc. “I’m a gentlewoman.”

Dina peers at Ellie’s face for a long moment. “Have you been reading Abby’s books?” 

Ellie’s whole face crumples in disgust. “I have not,” she almost shrieks, her voice going a little high. 

“Methinks the lady protest too much,” Dina replies, stumbling over the words as she attempts to recall them. 

“What the fuck does that mean,” Ellie laughs bewilderedly. 

“It’s Shakespeare,” Dina grins. 

“It’s- it’s shaking a spear?” Ellie asks, eyebrows knitted together in concern. 

“No, you doofus-”

“I’m joking,” Ellie grins. “Abby is my best friend, if there’s something dry she’s fucking read it.” 

“You’re such a goof,” Dina replies, squeezing Ellie’s hand in hers. 

Dina expects Ellie to stop at the gate but Ellie walks up to the porch. She lifts her hand as though to knock on the front door out of a polite habit and Dina has to physically stop her. “Dude, my sister is probably asleep,” Dina laughs, trying to keep her voice quiet. “I live here, I can just go inside.”

“Right, right,” Ellie laughs, rubbing the back of her neck. “So… um, tonight was good.”

“Thank you for walking me home.”

“Thank you for walking me home too,” Ellie replies reflexively. 

“I-” Dina blinks, thinking of how pointless that sentiment is when Ellie had just kept walking. “No problem, I was happy to.”

“You’re very sweet,” Ellie says, smiling at her. 

“You are too,” Dina mumbles in reply, feeling a little shy now. “You should have more water when you go home.”

“You should do that too.”

“No matter what, I’m so fucked for tomorrow,” Dina groans, thinking about the shift she had agreed to. “I was meant to take it easy tonight.”

“Still had a good night though?”

“Yeah,” Dina smiles. 

Ellie grins, reaching out to hug Dina goodnight, her arms wrapping around Dina’s shoulders and tugging her close. Dina rests her hands on Ellie’s hips, holding her tightly and burying her face into Ellie’s warm neck. After several moments Ellie’s hold loosens, but Dina squeezes her tightly, silently asking for longer. 

Dina can feel Ellie kiss her shoulder through her shirt, and reflexively she kisses Ellie in return, her lips on the bare skin of her neck. The feel of Ellie shivering under her when she does so makes her fight back a shudder, forcing herself to be still. 

“I, uh, I should go home,” Ellie mumbles softly, pulling back from their embrace. “Can we hang out again soon? Sober?” She asks eagerly.

“I’d really like that,” Dina says softly. She holds Ellie’s gaze, trying to keep her eyes from dropping to her lips. “Less fucked up is a good idea.”

“Really good idea.”

“Fucking brilliant,” Dina mumbles in reply. 

Ellie tucks a loose lock of hair behind Dina’s ear and hums. She leans in to press a lingering kiss on Dina’s cheek, nuzzling her nose there gently and giggling to herself. 

“I’ll see you soon?” Dina whispers.

Ellie nods, humming under her breath again quietly. 

“Good,” Dina presses a kiss to Ellie’s cheek in return. “Good night, Freckles.”

Ellie laughs loudly at the name, and Dina doesn’t have the heart to shush her for Talia’s sake. It takes her several moments to manage to say good night in return, and then she stumbles off the porch, waving to Dina at the gate before setting off for home. 

When Dina goes inside she feels like it's a personal affront when she sees the clock, registering 2:27 am and realising just how  _ fucked  _ she was going to feel for the watch shift. She fights the urge to throw herself on the couch, knowing it’ll make things worse, and instead attempts to quietly make her way up the stairs and into bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "If Lorde can write a studio album about a night out, then you can write this many words about a house party." - my gf
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I've had a very specific image of the party in my mind since the start of the fic.   
> Let me know what you think if you have the time xx


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. (the stupid prize is a hangover)

Dina feels like her alarm clock goes off moments after she gets into bed. Her head feels foggy, her mouth dry, and limbs heavy. 

_No headache,_ she thinks. _I’m doing fine, I can handle this._

Her first attempt at sitting up doesn’t go well, a deep throb emanating from the base of her skull. _There’s the fucking headache._

She groans, shifting onto her back and resolving herself to be very _fucking_ still. 

Her second alarm goes off not long after, and the speed at which she hits at the clock on her bedside table makes her feel a little lighthearted. 

“Okay, gotta do this,” she grumbles to herself, sitting up and lamenting the sight of the empty glass on her bedside table. She rubs her throat as she stands; it’s so dry that it feels a little painful. 

Her clothes from the previous night are discarded on the floor, and she’s relieved her drunk self had the capacity to take off her jeans and not sleep in them. She kicks the clothes haphazardly to the side of the room, pulling out fresh underwear and staring at her face in the small mirror on her dresser. 

_Okay, yeah maybe a shower,_ she tells herself, rubbing at her eyes. 

Talia snickers as she passes her almost naked in the landing, focused solely on getting into the shower and not collapsing. The water succeeds at first in waking her up more, but she lingers under the stream replaying the previous night in her head for long enough that her eyes begin to close again. _Fuck._

She gets dressed in comfortable clothes, putting three books into a small bag and grabbing a cap so she can attempt to keep the sun out of her eyes during her watch shift.

She stumbles as she heads down the stairs, grimacing at the noise Talia is making in the kitchen as she walks in and steals her glass of water. She gulps it down quickly before taking a breath, before refilling it and slumping into one of the stools at the kitchen bench. 

Talia is cooking eggs in a fry pan, whistling as she does so, and the sound is grating on Dina’s ears. She winces at a particularly shrill whistle and lifts her eyes to see Talia’s cheeky smile. 

“You look happy,” Dina grumbles, dropping her face back into her hands.

Talia shrugs, “Had a good night.” Her voice is bright and airy, and she switches to softly humming a tune out of pity. 

Dina waits for her to say more but when Talia doesn’t, she raises an eyebrow. “Is that all I get?” Dina asks. 

“Yup,” Talia grins, putting the eggs on a plate. “That’s all you’re gonna get.” She slides the plate of food across the counter to Dina, fried eggs and thick toast, thankfully with the crust, and Dina settles in to eat without complaint. 

“How was your night?” Talia asks, cracking some eggs into a hot pan for herself. 

“It was fantastic,” Dina mutters, shoving the toast into her mouth almost immediately. 

“Really?” Talia asks, looking over her shoulder back at Dina. “You don’t look particularly happy.”

“I’m hungover cause I’m dumb,” Dina scoffs. “I still had a great fucking time at the party.”

“You hook up with someone?” Talia asks curiously. 

“Not really,” Dina shrugs.

“So no sex, but a bit of kissing?” 

“No kissing either,” Dina smiles. 

“Honey,” Talia laughs, putting in some toast for herself. “That’s not a ‘not really’, you just straight up didn’t hook up with someone.”

“Yeah,” Dina says quietly, thinking back over the previous night. It felt intimate, and close, and momentous. _Kinda did though_ , she thinks. 

“Eat your food,” Talia says pointedly, taking Dina’s glass from her to refill it. “You working today or something?”

“Got a watch shift,” Dina grumbles, poking at the eggs. She isn’t sure if she can stomach it but knows the day will go more easily if she does. 

“Why the fuck would you stay out until 2am if you have a watch shift this morning?” Talia laughs. 

“You heard me come in?” Dina asks with a grimace, smiling apologetically when Talia nods. “Sorry ’bout that. And it was a last minute cover,” Dina answers through a mouthful of egg. “Maria made me.”

“Maria didn’t make you drink that much, though,” Talia replies with a smirk, taking her toast out to butter it. 

A quiet knock sounds on their front door. 

“I’ll get it,” Dina offers, standing and walking out of the kitchen and into the lounge room to answer the door. 

She opens the door to see Ellie. Her head is down, hair half pulled back into a messy low bun, still wearing the same clothes from last night, rumpled and disheveled, and the shoelaces on her right Converse sneaker are undone. 

“Ellie?” 

Ellie looks up, rocking backwards on her feet like Dina has startled her, before stilling. Her eyes are bloodshot and half closed, her face ashen, the smile she offers Dina is weak, and she looks absolutely dead on her feet. 

“Fuuuck,” Dina mutters to herself, moving forward to cup Ellie’s face in her hands and rub her thumbs along her cheekbones. “You look worse than I feel. You okay?” She murmurs, wrapping Ellie in a tight hug. 

“I’m just very tired,” Ellie says, collapsing against Dina. “Didn’t really sleep.”

“You should still be in bed, why are you up?” Dina asks, pressing a kiss to Ellie’s head. 

“It’s a whole thing, and I wanted to see you,” Ellie mutters, squeezing her arms around Dina’s waist. The embrace is close, their chests pressed together, faces tucked into each other's necks, and Dina just wants to stay here. 

“Who is it?” Talia yells from the kitchen. 

Both Ellie and Dina wince at the sound, Dina pulling back from Ellie slightly and offering her a reassuring smile. “I’m surprised your hangover is worse than mine,” Dina says.

“I think I might still be a bit drunk,” Ellie laughs. “I’m sorry, I should- I should leave you to get ready for work.”

“No, no, come in,” Dina says. “Please,” she adds, grabbing Ellie’s hand and leading her into the kitchen. “Ellie, this is Talia, my sister. Talia, this is Ellie,” she says. 

Talia’s eyes narrow at the sight of Ellie. She purses her lips and then turns back to her cooking to plate up the second batch of eggs and toast. “Had a rough night, hun?” Talia says gently, placing her plate on the bench and sliding it across to Ellie. “Please, have some food.” Her gaze softens as she asks Ellie to eat.

Ellie sits on the stool beside Dina. She hesitates in taking the cutlery that Talia insistently holds out for her but concedes and thanks Talia sincerely. As soon as she does so, Talia’s eyes narrow again and she moves around the counter to very quickly swat Dina over the head, Dina attempts to duck in time but does so unsuccessfully. 

“Ow,” Dina whines. “What was that for?”

“Why didn’t you take care of this baby?” Talia says critically, starting to cook her third set of eggs for the morning with only a brief huff. “She’s so young, I thought I raised you to look after your friends.”

“She’s not that young,” Dina says with a frown. “You’re like 19, right?” She asks Ellie. 

Ellie nods around a mouthful of toast, swallowing then adding, “I’ll be 20 soon.”

“Ahhh, so you’re just stupid like my sister then?” Talia says with a laugh. 

Dina glares at Talia but Ellie laughs with her. “Yeah, I’m a bit fucked at the moment,” Ellie agrees.

“I’m honestly surprised, you had water and everything last night,” Dina says, picking at her breakfast again. 

“I may have slept in Joel’s garage last night,” Ellie says with a shrug, keeping her eyes firmly on her plate. 

“What the fuck,” Dina replies. 

“Don’t worry, it’s got a couch and shit,” Ellie huffs, running her hands through her hair and ruffling it further. “It would have been my home if I’d moved years ago like we planned.”

“What was wrong with your actual home?” Talia asks. 

Ellie grimaces, frowning deeply. “Abby was, uh…” She trails off. 

“Oh,” Dina says quietly. 

“Oh?” Talia asks, raising an eyebrow.

“She and Brodie were, um, having fun,” Ellie says politely. 

“Yikes,” Dina mutters. 

“Brodie is quite loud,” Ellie nods. “Which I did _not_ need to know.”

“You look like you haven’t slept at all,” Talia says gently, finally plating up her own breakfast and beginning to eat. 

“I feel like I haven’t slept at all,” Ellie murmurs, her shoulders seem to slump further and Dina fights the urge to rub her back comfortingly. 

“After you finish eating, you should go home and sleep it off,” Talia suggests.

“I tried to go home this morning,” Ellie grumbles, wincing again.

“And they’re still...?” Dina asks, both curious and mortified. 

“I could hear Brodie from the gate,” Ellie groans, rubbing her eyes again. 

“I’ll have to speak to her,” Talia says, pointing a fork at Ellie. “This isn’t alright.”

“No, no, it’s okay. I’ll yell at her later myself,” Ellie waves her off. “I don’t know why they didn’t just stay at Brodie’s place,” Ellie huffs. 

“Probably because of Cat,” Dina suggests. “She must have kicked them out.”

Talia frowns. “If it happens again just come here, you can crash with Dina. She won’t mind.”

Ellie chokes a little on her food, but manages to thank Talia for her hospitality. Dina keeps her eyes fixed firmly on her now empty plate, mashing her fork at it like she’s legitimately attempting to scrape together the crumbs and flecks of egg to eat. 

“You should stay here for a bit, have a lie down,” Talia says warmly. “I would stay but I always spend most of the day painting with Irene on Saturdays, Irene Thompson if you know her?”

Ellie shakes her head. 

“Lark’s wife,” Dina says. 

“So I’ll be out for most of today, and Dina got herself into an extra watch shift. So the house will be nice and quiet, I think a good rest is the best thing for you right now,” Talia continues. 

“You should stay, if you want to,” Dina affirms, resting a comforting hand on Ellie’s back. 

“I don’t want to impose, I can just go back to Joel’s,” Ellie mumbles, cheeks a little pink from the attention. 

“Please,” Dina says quietly, rubbing her thumb against Ellie’s shoulder but stilling her hand when she catches Talia’s eye. 

Ellie shrugs. “Okay,” she says. “If you’re sure it’s alright.”

“It’s perfectly alright,” Talia says warmly. “Do you think you can eat anymore?”

Ellie shakes her head. “Sorry, I- thank you for the food, though,” she replies. 

“All good, hun. Dina, can you take her up to bed?” Talia asks. “She looks like she’s gonna fall off the stool.”

“Come on, Ell,” Dina says, standing and guiding Ellie with a hand on her back to the stairs and up to her room. Ellie’s more shuffling than walking at this point, her footfalls heavy on the stairs. “You poor thing,” Dina murmurs. 

Ellie grumbles something in reply but Dina isn’t able to catch it. She grimaces at the sight of the mess in her room; the bed has the covers pulled up, but there’s probably more clutter than she’d have liked for Ellie to see. She glares at the clothes she’d kicked to the side of the room, relieved that at least her underwear isn’t visible. 

Ellie sits down heavily on the bed, fighting with her shoes to take them off. As Dina helps her, Ellie lays back on the bed, groaning. 

“Wait, no, sit up,” Dina says, pulling a grumbling Ellie back upright. “You can’t sleep in your jeans, come on.”

“’S fine,” Ellie mumbles. 

“I’ll give you some comfy clothes, take them off,” Dina says, closing the blinds and moving to rifle through her dresser. 

“You want me to take my pants off and you haven’t even bought me dinner first,” Ellie mutters under her breath, undoing her jeans and pulling them down her legs.

“I did buy you dinner first,” Dina laughs, pulling out her softest pair of cotton shorts. 

“Oh, that’s true,” Ellie replies dumbly. Dina can see when she turns back that Ellie has managed to get her jeans to her ankles but no further. Dina clenches her jaw, trying to focus on helping her and not the amount of smooth skin in front of her. She bends down, tugging the jeans off Ellie’s legs and helping her step into the pair of shorts. 

Ellie pulls them up herself, Dina lingering in a crouched position in front of her, hands hovering over Ellie’s legs, her mind stuck completely on the few freckles she can see on Ellie’s knees. _Oh._

“I have also bought you dinner,” Ellie slurs, rubbing her eyes tiredly. “Does that mean you’re also gonna take your pants off?” 

Dina snorts, “Maybe next time.” Ellie seems too exhausted to blush at her words, instead just nodding along like it was a normal response, and Dina pulls the covers down. “Do you want me to find you a new shirt to sleep in, too?” She doesn’t wait for a response, turning back to her dresser to try to find something long-sleeved and comfortable to sleep in. 

She hears Ellie struggling with something behind her, and by the time she looks back Ellie has successfully taken off her long-sleeve v-neck. She’s only glad in a thin singlet now. It hugs her body closely, and it's the first time Dina has seen her arms fully. 

“I’m good like this, I think,” Ellie replies, shuffling over to slide into the covers. She stretches, yawning with a little squeak, and curls into Dina’s pillow as she lies down. 

Her arms are strong, definitely something that Dina already knew, and they flex with her movements, the lean muscles rippling. Dina’s throat suddenly feels dry again. “I uh-” her stalls, unprepared to see shoulders, and biceps, and collarbones. _Fuck._

Ellie tugs Dina’s pillow closer, rubbing her face into it and sighing deeply, her shoulders relaxing. Dina smiles, snapping out of it and walking over to the bed to pull the covers up to actually cover Ellie’s shoulders. “You’re pretty cute,” she says quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed, her hand rubbing soft circles on Ellie’s back. 

“No, you,” Ellie mutters quietly, wiggling in the sheets and stretching up into Dina’s touch. 

Dina laughs, moving her hand up to run her fingers through Ellie’s hair and undo her bun so it doesn’t bother her in her sleep. “I wish I could spend the day sleeping,” Dina says, tucking a stray lock of hair behind Ellie’s ear. 

“I wish you could too,” Ellie says, blinking up at her slowly. “Maybe tomorrow?”

“Got another shift then too,” Dina replies, her hand drifting to cup Ellie’s jaw. “I guess I’ll have to sleep at night like a normal person.”

Ellie smiles. “This is nice though, thank you.”

“Anytime,” Dina smiles, stroking Ellie’s cheek tenderly with her thumb. 

She lingers for longer than she should, watching Ellie fight to keep her eyes open and then slowly admitting defeat. She wishes she could stay here for the day, climb into bed next to Ellie and hold her, and she’s a little tempted to let herself do so. _Just for a couple minutes_ , she thinks, but she knows she’s already running late. 

She presses a kiss to Ellie’s forehead, the dopey smile curling at Ellie’s lips telling her that Ellie is somewhat awake. “Sleep well, Freckles,” Dina murmurs, kissing Ellie’s head again, before leaving the room. 

Dina thinks she can hear a small ‘you too’ as she leaves the room and she smiles as she heads downstairs. _Oh my god, she’s so fucking lovely._

She’s greeted downstairs by Talia with a knowing smile. “You’re gonna be late,” Talia informs her, holding her bag up to her. “You should get a move on.”

“I know, I know,” Dina groans. 

“I made you some sandwiches for lunch,” Talia adds, pulling Dina into a hug. “And packed you _two_ water bottles. Try to stay hydrated.”

“I’ll do my best,” Dina agrees, thanking Talia for the sandwiches and heading to the door. 

She opens the door to a startled Jesse, his hand raised as though to knock.

“Hey, Jess,” Dina smiles. “I’m headed to East Gate 2 for watch. Did I not mention I had a shift?”

“Uh,” Jesse blinks, taking a moment to process his surprise. “Um, right, yeah. I figured I’d walk you,” he says. 

“Sounds good, let’s go,” Dina agrees. 

Jesse nods to Talia, offering her an awkward smile, before following Dina out through the gate.

“So how’d it go last night?” Jesse asks. “You look pretty fucking hungover so I’m guessing you didn’t make good choices.”

“I was so drunk by the time you left, I don’t think there were any good choices to make,” Dina laughs. 

“How did it go with Ellie, though? Make any progress?” 

“I’d say it went quite well,” Dina smirks. “I got her into my bed.”

Jesse’s eyes go comically wide. “Wait, what?!” He clutches at her arm in excitement, shaking her in a way that would normally be fine but makes her head pound. “You slept together? I thought you two would dance around each other for a least a couple more weeks!”

“I’m just fucking with you, we didn’t even kiss,” Dina laughs, pulling away from him. “I got kinda close, but I’m relieved I didn’t do it when we were that wasted. I really like her.”

“I fucking know you do,” Jesse grins. “You’re very obvious about it.”

“Good, I wanna make sure Ellie knows,” Dina grins.

“So when are you seeing her next?” 

“I’m hoping she’ll still be there when I get home,” Dina says. “I reckon she could sleep for the full eight hours of the shift, easy.”

“Wait, what?” Jesse asks. 

“She’s in my bed right now,” Dina laughs. 

“Oh fuck, you weren’t joking. How did that happen?”

“Abby went home with Brodie, so Ellie slept on a couch at Joel’s, and apparently she was still going this morning,” Dina shrugs. “So Ellie’s sleeping it off at mine for the day.”

“Wow, okay,” Jesse chuckles, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and hugging her against him. “So you’re hungover as fuck, about to spend the day staring at the sun, and your almost girlfriend is in your bed. Right now.”

“Dude, I’m already fucking miserable,” Dina huffs, not having the heart to shove him away. “You really don’t have to repeat this to me.”

“That just really fucking sucks,” he laughs. 

“Yeah, I can tell you’re really broken up about it,” she replies dryly. 

“If I didn’t have a shift at the stables today I would have totally covered for you,” he offers with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Dina groans. “I just- I think I’m a bit annoyed that I’ve already got a watch shift tomorrow too. So I don’t even get a proper break.”

“I’ve got a day off tomorrow,” Jesse says easily. “I can cover your shift and you can go hang out with Ellie? Spend the day napping or flirting hopelessly?”

“Are you sure?” 

“For you?” Jesse waves her off. “Of course I’m sure.”

“Ugh, I love you,” Dina replies, stopping where the paths to the stable and the east tower diverge. “You’re the best.”

“I know,” he grins lopsidedly, pulling her into a proper bear hug and dropping a kiss to the top of her head. “Love you too.”

\--

As soon as Dina manages to get up the ladder, she stumbles to her seat, the floor lurching under her, and gulps from one of her water bottles without taking a breath. 

She doesn’t actually register Scott sitting across from her until she looks up and he laughs at her. “Heard you took William’s shift,” he says. “I sent Tracy home, didn’t want her to wait for you,” he looks at his watch. “Honestly, I thought you’d be much later.” 

Dina groans, nodding at him thankfully, and squints at the sun on the horizon with contempt. The trouble with being late to a watch shift was that there was meant to be two people in the tower at all times, so by arriving late to the day watch, she was dragging out the shift of someone who had been there since midnight. “Thank you,” she mutters as she pulls her hat out of her backpack. 

“From what I know you’re either a bit early, or you’re hungover,” he grins. Dina hasn’t worked many shifts with Scott, not intentionally but their schedules had never really lined up. He was older, maybe in his thirties, but it was hard to tell with the relatively youthful face and greying hair combination, and he lived with and dotingly cared for his elderly parents. 

She props her feet up on the edge of the watchtower, tugging her hat down low on her head and effectively covering her eyes. She wiggles in the uncomfortable chair for a moment, trying to find a reclining position where her back won’t ache within five minutes. 

“Yeah,” Scott says with mirth. “I’m not surprised that that’s how today’s gonna go.”

\--

Dina isn’t able to sleep. She definitely isn’t meant to but she attempts it anyway. The heat of the sun, the lingering headache and the rigidness of the seat all keep her from doing so successfully. 

She spends most of her day thinking about Ellie, exhausted and sleeping in her bed, waking drowsily and contentedly; how she’d stretch and maybe yawn again. _That little squeak she did was so fucking cute_. Her thoughts keep her occupied enough that she doesn’t get annoyed when she eats her crustless sandwiches for lunch. 

_If I didn’t have this fucking shift, I could have spent the day in bed with her_ , Dina thinks idly. She’s trying to read one of the books she brought along, but hadn’t turned a page in at least twenty minutes. 

_Would it be a bit too soon for that?_ She wonders. _Ellie seemed fine with it this morning but she was still a little gone._

She bites her lip, looking out at the trees and sighing. _It would have been so warm though, bare legs and naked skin._

She loses the afternoon to thinking about Ellie, the freckles she saw on her knees, the brief glimpse she got of her shoulders and arms, so stuck on the gentle flex of her muscles that she didn’t get the opportunity to commit it to memory like she should have. 

\--

“’Sup,” a friendly voice calls from the ladder. Scott and Dina look at each other briefly but Dina returns to her book and he returns his eyes to the treeline, neither of them looking down the ladder to see who was calling them. 

It takes another half a moment before Bella’s face pops up into view. “How’s it going?” She drawls, climbing up and into the tower and kicking gently at one of the feet of Dina’s chair. “Scoot, my chair.”

Dina blearily rubs her eyes, and checks her watch. “It’s not four yet,” she mumbles in confusion, blinking at the watch face reading 2:53pm. 

“Maria said you looked like shit this morning coming over,” Bella shrugs. “Asked me to start early, and you know I don’t do shit.” Bella taps the chair again with her foot, and Dina stumbles to her feet. 

“I mean- that is true,” Scott interjects, a teasing smile on his lips. “You don’t do shit.” 

“I don’t need to do shit,” Bella grins.

“So I’m- I’m good then?” Dina asks slowly. 

“You looked fucked, actually,” Bella replies with a finger gun and a small laugh. 

“You’re free, kid. Take the win,” Scott says with a nod. “Go home and crash.”

“It’s like three, I’m not gonna go to bed,” Dina tries to joke, but she yawns almost immediately after she finishes speaking and Scott just raises an eyebrow at her. “Yeah, yeah, I’m going,” she says, smiling, packing her book away and starting to climb down.

\--

She knows she wants to see Ellie but a nap does sound really tempting. It takes half the walk home for her tired brain to consider that she had only been gone for around seven hours and Ellie could still be curled up in her bed. Her hair would be messy, curled into Dina’s pillow, sleepy green eyes, only clad in soft cotton shorts and a singlet. Dina could see properly if Ellie had freckles on her shoulders, on her arms- 

_That’s the first time I’ve actually seen her without sleeves_ , she realises. _I didn’t even notice._

Ellie had been exhausted and a bit out of it; Dina wonders if it had occurred to Ellie in the moment. She had been too caught up in the gentle flex of her arms and the dopey smile on Ellie’s lips, awestruck and soft at the sight, that she didn’t think to look. 

_I didn’t need to look,_ Dina concludes, her thoughts drifting back to the way Ellie had learnt into her touch. _I just need to talk to her when we’re both actually awake._

\--

Ellie isn’t there. 

Dina drops her bag in the doorway with a heavy thud, staring blankly at her empty room, the bed made, no trace of Ellie’s presence except for the neatly folded shorts at the end of the bed. 

Dina sighs deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

_She was exhausted, how the fuck is she already gone?_ Dina grits her teeth, willing herself to get over it as she contemplates her bed. Dina’s head is fuzzy, the remnants of a headache on the edges of it, and the disappointment of Ellie has a bigger impact than it normally would have. Her eyes burn a little with tears, and she swallows thickly trying to calm down. 

_It’s fine, it’s fine._

She takes a deep breath. She wants to both take a nap and to be with Ellie, and she isn’t okay with the fact that those things are mutually exclusive. 

The note on her bedside table resolves it, though. 

‘Thank you, you’re too sweet, x’

 _Fuck it_ , Dina thinks, tracing Ellie’s words with her finger. _I don’t need sleep._

Talia is waiting to greet her at the bottom of the stairs, Dina only noticing her when she’s halfway down. 

“Hi?” Dina offers. 

“Hi, honey,” Talia smiles. Her expression is warm but her hands are firmly on her hips. “Are you getting a drink before bed? Do you need something to eat first?”

“I- I was gonna go out for a bit, actually,” Dina says. Talia doesn’t interrupt but her smile twitches slightly and it makes Dina falter as she talks. 

“I think you should go to bed,” Talia replies. 

“It’s- it’s still super early,” Dina attempts. “I’m not gonna be out for long, and-”

“It looks like you need a nap,” Talia says, wrapping an arm around Dina’s shoulders and leading her back up the stairs. “Come on.”

“No, I-” Dina tries to argue but admits defeat. “I’ll just- just a small nap.”

“Just a small nap,” Talia agrees, leading Dina back to her room and pulling down the covers for her. 

Dina doesn’t attempt to struggle into pyjamas, she just kicks off her pants and shirt and crawls into bed in her underwear. “Will you wake me up later?”

“Uh huh,” Talia nods. “Sure,” she drags the word out and Dina knows she can’t trust her on that but her bed is comfortable and words are difficult. 

Distantly she feels Talia pulling up the covers around her shoulders properly and leaving the room quietly. 

As she curls into her pillow Dina can tell her sheets smell a little different but she can’t place the scent. It’s nice, like another reminder of Ellie in her room, and she’s still thinking about it as she drifts to sleep.

\--

When Dina wakes up she knows she slept longer than she intended. It’s dark outside, no light peeking around the edges of the blinds. She blinks, rubbing her eyes, and attempts for a solid minute to read the watch on her wrist in the darkness. _Fuck._

She admits defeat, getting up drowsily and pulling on some trackies. She makes it to the stairs before realising she’s just in a sports bra. _What time is it?_

She can hear the soft noise of the tv downstairs and Talia moving around. 

She’s taken off guard when she hears the upstairs toilet flush and Talia emerge. Talia smiles at her, “Go back to sleep, honey.”

“What time is-”

“Shhh,” Talia says. “Don’t wake up,” Talia shushes her, rubbing circles on her back. It must be some time in the late evening Dina thinks. “It’s all good.”

Talia ushers Dina back into her room, waiting in the doorway until Dina is back in bed before closing the door. 

Dina lays on her back, groaning at the ceiling, she feels rested but her limbs still feel heavy.

She isn’t sure how quickly sleep consumes her again. 

\--

Dina wakes early the next morning, having slept for what feels like an excessive amount of time. She feels a little annoyed at Talia for not waking her but in hindsight Talia wouldn’t have even considered it. She imagines she would do the same thing in Talia’s position.

Dina feels like seven is too early to leave and go to Ellie’s place, knowing that Ellie didn’t have work and likely wouldn’t be awake yet. She feels like she’s buzzing with energy, not necessarily from the length of her rest but her eagerness to talk to Ellie; to touch Ellie again, to kiss Ellie. To talk. 

Dina sighs, stirring the onion and capscicum in the pan slowly and adding in the diced tomatoes she had prepared. _I’m so relieved I don’t have my shift today._

Talia comes downstairs as she’s cracking four eggs into a bowl, waiting for the sauce to thicken. 

“Are you cooking me breakfast?” Talia asks, putting the kettle on and getting herself a mug. 

“I definitely can’t eat this all myself,” Dina grins, watching as Talia sniffs the air and assesses the shakshuka with a critical eye. 

“Looks good,” Talia smiles, patting Dina on the shoulder. “You sleep well?”

“I slept for a very long time,” Dina replies plainly. 

“Funny, that,” Talia laughs, making her morning herbal tea. 

“I needed it though, thank you.” Dina adds the eggs gently into the tomato sauce, covering the pan with a lid for it to cook through quickly. She watches her hands in the sink idly. “Up to much today?”

“I have to do a bit of lesson planning for the week,” Talia says, reaching up to tie her long hair up on a ponytail. “But that’s nothing new.”

“Want me to plait it?” Dina asks. 

“That would be lovely,” Talia says, putting some bread in the toaster and moving to sit on one of the stools. Dina plaits her hair efficiently. She had always admired Talia’s hair. It was slightly less unruly than Dina’s and as a result Talia often let it grow much longer. “Mmm, so a bit of lesson planning, gonna do the washing, probably sheets I think, but otherwise a quiet day. As Sundays should be.” 

“You live a dangerous life,” Dina teases, tying the plait with a hairband from her wrist and moving back around to check the eggs in the pan. 

“I live a peaceful life,” Talia corrects her. “And it’s wonderful.”

“It is wonderful,” Dina smiles. “I’m glad Maria suggested you get into teaching, you’re really good with the kids,” Dina smiles, placing a thick wooden chopping board on the bench to rest the pan on. 

“They’re good kids,” Talia shrugs. “Like you,” she adds as she moves the pan over to the bench. 

“I’m alright,” Dina smirks. 

“Did you add-”

“I always add extra garlic, shush,” Dina scoffs, grabbing the small container of feta from the fridge and settling in at the table. 

\--

She heads to Ellie’s around ten, a much more reasonable time that she definitely gave a bit too much thought to. As she’s walking up to the porch, Abby emerges in running shorts and a sports bra. She has several faded hickies on her neck, a dark pink mark peeking out the top of her bra, and she grins at the sight of Dina. 

“How’s it going?” Abby asks lazily. She places her hands on the top of the porch railing and starts to stretch her right leg behind her. 

“Yeah, uh, good,” Dina says awkwardly, trying to ignore the sight of her abs tensing. _I can definitely understand why everyone is sleeping with her, fuck._ “Was gonna check in on Ellie.”

“Oh, I think Ellie is spending most of today at Cat’s,” Abby replies nonchalantly, switching legs. “You could probably go drop in though.” 

“No, uh, that’s all good,” Dina says, stumbling over her words as she tries to hide her disappointment. _Oh._

“I’m probably going to go get a burger later,” Abby says, rubbing at her freshly shaved undercut as she stands properly. “You could join me if you want?” 

“I’m all good,” Dina smiles weakly, waving her off. “I might go find Jesse at the stables and bother him for a bit.” 

“Yeah, no worries,” Abby replies. “See you around,” she calls over her shoulder as she begins to jog away. 

Dina fully intends to seek Jesse out to vent for the day, feeling a little bit too embarrassed to go home and face Talia so soon after leaving so eagerly. She makes it halfway to the stables before remembering he was on her watch shift today and wouldn’t be able to chat privately. 

She finds herself walking to the library instead, still considering dropping by Cat’s to talk with Ellie but feeling silly for doing so. _Ellie can spend time with whoever she wants to_ , she tells herself, thinking about Cat saying something about seeing Ellie soon at the end of the party. Ellie seemed to bond pretty quickly with Cat at the party; they were talking closely by the time Dina had arrived and Ellie had made it clear that she thought Cat was cool. 

_She didn’t sleep in Cat’s bed, though_ , Dina tells herself. _I’ve got nothing to worry about._

She decides to leave Ellie to it, knowing she’d feel a bit uncomfortable deliberately interrupting, and Cat would probably delight in her discomfort. 

\--

Dina’s in the library minding her business, reading quietly when she hears Cat and Brodie talking loudly outside. 

“...flirting with her in my office,” Cat says; her voice is relatively even but Dina knows her well enough to tell she’s excited. Dina rolls her eyes at the use of the word ‘office’, thinking of the converted garage adjacent to Cat’s house where she had her set up for cutting hair and tattooing. 

“Oh yeah, you finally make a real move?” Brodie asks eagerly. 

“No but fuck, I really had to fight the urge to just mount her,” Cat laughs airily. 

“You really should have,” Brodie tells her. “She’d be into it for sure. She’s definitely been looking at you.”

“I mean, yeah probably,” Cat replies. 

“I’m surprised you haven’t slept with her yet, honestly,” Brodie continues.

“Yeah, I just keeping thinking about-”

“I don’t see how that matters, it’s not like you have any real feelings,” Brodie tells her. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, next time you should go for it,” Brodie laughs. “I’ve never seen you be such a little bitch about a girl, jesus.”

“You’re right,” Cat remarks. “Next time I see her, I won’t hold back.”

They move on, continuing their conversation out of earshot and Dina is left struggling to continue her place on the page. Her grip on the book is too tight, hands clenched, and her throat tingles like she’s going to cry. _This is so dumb._

She goes home not long after. She pauses on the way at the turn to Ellie’s street but not for long. _Another time._

\--

“Why the long face?” Talia asks from the couch when Dina comes home.

Dina is dragging her feet, head low, feeling stupid and frustrated at herself. She briefly considers going to her room but knows that won’t make her feel better. She huffs, throwing herself onto the armchair beside the couch instead. 

Talia pauses the movie she’s watching to focus on Dina, and Dina registers that it’s _Pride & Prejudice _. “I don’t know how that disc still works with how much you watch it,” Dina mutters. 

“Okay, grumpy,” Talia rolls her eyes. “I don’t think this is about me and my Jane Austen. Come on, talk to me.”

“I like someone,” Dina says, stretching out on the armchair and shifting to swing her legs over one side. 

“You like Ellie, go on,” Talia says with a smile. 

Dina nods, “I like Ellie.”

“Go on,” Talia repeats. 

“Other people like Ellie too,” Dina says stubbornly. 

Talia softens, leaning over to rub Dina’s knee reassuringly. “Sometimes that happens. The only thing that matters is the relationship you want to build with Ellie. Ignore other people.”

“I just feel frustrated,” Dina huffs. 

“All you can do is show Ellie how you feel, and let her choose what she wants."

“I know,” Dina grumbles, moving to join Talia on the couch and cuddling into her side. 

“Also, like, if she does date someone else, it’s not necessarily for forever,” Talia says, kissing the crown of Dina’s head and wrapping an arm around her. “If it’s not the time now, doesn’t mean you missed your only chance.”

“That’s true, Jackson’s pretty small,” Dina laughs quietly. “You’re either hooking up with an ex, or with an ex of your ex.” 

“Exactly, things are messy. No one really belongs to anyone,” Talia says, resuming the movie. “Everything’s an experience.” 

Dina nods, resting her head on Talia’s shoulder and trying to focus on the movie. _All I can do is show Ellie how I feel._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gracefully beta'd once again by my gf.  
> My tumblr user: @respectablesentiment & twitch: @grumblebum1
> 
> Hope you liked the update and snoozy Ellie, let me know what you think :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gracefully beta'd once again by my gf.

Dina groans when Talia switches the disc over to another Jane Austen adaptation, but declines when Talia offers to let her choose something else. 

“You gonna go talk to Ellie tonight?” Talia asks, about halfway through the movie. “Or am I cooking dinner for both of us?”

“I suppose I should try again,” Dina grumbles, hugging the pillow in her lap. 

“You’ve always been a smart kid,” Talia grins. 

Dina sighs, checking her watch. It’s only a bit past four. 

Talia gives her ten minutes before she elbows her in the side. 

“Later,” Dina whines. 

A knock sounds at the front door, both of their eyes flicking over to it with interest. “Not it,” Talia says quickly, turning the volume up with a remote and trying to hide her smirk. 

It’s Ellie - Ellie in blue jeans and a soft green flannel over a white shirt. She’s smiling bashfully, lighting up at the sight of Dina and she looks much more happy and rested than the previous morning. Dina melts a little at the sight of her. 

“Hey!” Ellie says eagerly. “I’m glad I caught you.”

“Caught me?” Dina asks. 

“You’re a hard person to track down,” Ellie laughs.

“What do you mean?” 

“I- I thought you had a shift today, I went to the watch tower to walk you home,” Ellie says, dropping her gaze shyly. “And Jesse said he was covering for you. You should have said you had the day off…”

“Sorry, it-” Dina shrugs, smiling apologetically. “He took pity on me last minute and offered to cover.” 

“Still, you should have come found me,” Ellie replies, adding quietly, “It was just like yesterday.”

“Like yesterday?”

“Yeah, I- I went and Bella told me you went home early,” Ellie replies. “Said you went home to crash and that you were fucked,” Ellie laughs. “So I figured I’d leave you be.”

“You should've come over, I would have loved to see you.”

“You needed to sleep,” Ellie rubs the back of her neck again uncomfortably, silence falling between them. “Anyway, um, hi,” she offers, her voice lilting up at the end like it's a question and she raises her arms slightly like she’s unsure whether she can hug Dina or not. 

Dina grins, stepping forward and into the hug. It’s fairly short, a little awkward, but Ellie smells nice and it feels reassuring after how Dina spent the day. 

“Do you- do you wanna go for a walk with me?” Ellie asks. 

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Dina smiles. She ducks her head back inside, contemplating getting a thin jumper to wear over her shirt. Talia meets her eyes, grinning and blows her a kiss. “Let’s go,” Dina decides, ignoring Talia and closing the door behind her. 

They walk comfortably for a bit, Dina following Ellie’s lead, but it doesn’t seem like they’re headed in a particular direction. 

Dina wants to take Ellie’s hand, thinking about how they walked home clinging to each other two nights ago and now it feels a little awkward. A lot more people are on the streets, and she isn’t sure if Ellie would be comfortable with the open affection. Ellie looks a little nervous, twisting her hands together, her brow furrowed. 

_ I just have to talk to her.  _

“Sorry I didn’t come and find you today,” Dina says, nudging her shoulder against Ellie’s and biting her lip. “Abby said you were spending the day with Cat?” She asks hesitantly.  _ Why the fuck did I bring up Cat? _

Ellie perks up immediately. “Yeah, it was so great,” Ellie replies eagerly with a grin. “I’m getting a tattoo.” Her excitement is almost childish in its giddiness, an extra skip in her step,and Dina has to try to hide her laugh. 

“That’s really cool,” Dina says genuinely. 

“Yeah, we did the first session today for the outline, I think we were just meant to talk about it. But we figured like- fuck it, I know what I want. And it hurt only for a little bit and then I kinda got used to it,” Ellie gushes. “We’re gonna have another session soon, as soon as she says it’s ready for shading, she says we’ll do a longer session and she can do it all at once. It’s so nice, Dina, I’m so excited.” By the time Ellie finishes she laughs at herself a little breathlessly. Dina can feel her smile fading a little as Ellie talks and she tries valiantly to hide it. Hearing her gush about Cat again makes her chest feel tight. 

_ Cat said she wouldn’t hold back next time she was with her,  _ Dina thinks, looking at the ground. 

“You- you okay?” Ellie asks, sounding a bit more unsure of herself.

“Yeah,” Dina says, forcing her tone to be more upbeat. “So, you and Cat, huh?” She asks awkwardly. 

“Me and Cat?” Ellie replies, eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. 

“Do you- like her?” Dina asks awkwardly.  _ I’m an idiot.  _

“As a  _ person _ ?” Ellie asks, laughing as Dina flushes. “I think she’s cool, but I’m not interested in her if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Oh,” Dina says quietly, feeling a bit stupid for actually asking. 

Ellie stops suddenly and Dina pauses, feeling a little embarrassed under Ellie’s intense gaze. “I thought we were on the same page,” Ellie says, softening and taking Dina’s hand cautiously in hers. 

“We are,” Dina says quickly. “I just- I know she’s interested in you, and that-”

“She isn’t interested in me,” Ellie interrupts. 

“No, no, she definitely is,” Dina says. “I know she can be- I don’t know, a lot? She’s flirty and attractive and-

“Well, I know you certainly find her attractive,” Ellie grins. 

“Shut up,” Dina groans, letting go of her hand to shove Ellie weakly.

“I like Cat as a person,” Ellie says calmly. “I think she’s pretty fucking funny and I think she’s cool.” She shrugs, biting her lip. “She’s not you though,” she adds quietly. 

“I- what?” Dina stutters, her cheeks flushing.

Ellie squints at her, biting her lip. “I wanna show you something, is now okay?”

“Definitely,” Dina says, still feeling a bit breathless. 

“Come on,” Ellie says, leading Dina further down the street and leading her through the gate to Joel’s backyard. “So um,” Ellie says shakily. “I’m getting a tattoo on my arm to- to hide a scar that I don’t like.”

“Okay,” Dina says softly, surprised at Ellie’s openness. 

“I- I got a lot of questions about it back in Salt Lake, and sometimes it just felt easier to cover it,” Ellie says. “And then I came here and just- I only wanted to hide it.”

Dina nods; she takes Ellie’s hand in hers, conscious that they were now more tucked away, standing on the doorstep of the garage in Joel’s yard. 

“It’s- it’s partially because of other people, but I- I really fucking hate seeing it,” Ellie says quietly. “I’ve wanted to hide it for ages and I’ve been thinking about a tattoo since I first met Cat. Then I don’t have to see it, and other people won’t ask about the scar.”

“Is that what you two were talking about at the party?” Dina asks, thinking about how Cat had cradled Ellie’s forearm in her hands, the way Ellie had traced the tattoos on Cat’s arms. 

“Yeah,” Ellie smiles. “She was talking to me about how tattoos can look a little distorted over scar tissue, and like… how I should do the design to be darker around the scar but branch out from there to make it less obvious that it was covering something.” 

“So you did the design yourself?”

“I did, actually,” Ellie says, starting to unbutton the cuff of her right sleeve. “I’ve been drawing it for a while and Cat helped me figure out how I should have it sit on the arm. There’s going to be a second darker leaf as well.” 

Ellie holds out her forearm to Dina to inspect. An outline of a fern frond spans the length of her forearm curling to wrap slightly around the edges. The outline of a moth sits above the crease of her elbow and Dina finds herself holding Ellie’s arm to inspect it without realising. 

She looks up at Ellie quickly to see if she’s overstepped but Ellie smiles reassuringly; she still seems a little nervous and Dina strokes her arm gently to calm her. The moth is centred over a large faded burn, the wings spanning beyond the width of it, the raised skin pink and shiny.

“That’s where I was bitten,” Ellie says softly. 

Dina nods; she had assumed as much. “And the burn?”

Ellie smiles, “Abby.”

“What the fuck did Abby do? Hold a lighter to your arm?” Dina asks, horrified, knowing it was likely a second degree burn from how uneven the skin was. She was tempted to touch it, but the sharp lines of the fresh tattoo made her hesitate, knowing it would be sensitive. 

“No,” Ellie laughs. “She snuck me out to meet up with some of her friends, Mel did a chemical burn for me, or- at least, she talked me through it.”

“You did it yourself?”

“I wanted to,” Ellie says quietly. “I- it healed with a ring of fucked up teeth marks and cysts and I just… I couldn’t fucking stand looking at it. I got into so much shit the next day. It was worth it, though.”

Dina bites her lip, unsure what she should say; she lets her hands drift down to hold Ellie’s, bringing it up to her mouth and kissing the back of it. “How- how old were you?”

“Seventeen when I did the chemical burn,” Ellie says with a furrowed brow. “I was fourteen when I got bitten.” 

“I can’t imagine what that would have been like,” Dina says softly. 

“Yeah,” Ellie sighs. She seems to wait for a moment, looking at Dina like she’s expecting her to ask another question.

“Ellie, I appreciate you sharing with me but you don’t have to tell me more,” Dina says, stroking Ellie’s hand in hers. 

Ellie takes a shaky breath. “Don’t you want to know?”

“When it comes to a bite… everyone’s story is horrific and personal and twisted, and I want to know in the way that I care about you, but I don’t need you to tell me,” Dina explains carefully, taking the time to find the right words. 

Ellie nods thoughtfully. 

“Ell, I-,” Dina hesitates. “Did you want to go inside?” She asks, eyes flicking to the door that they are standing in front of. 

“Yeah, sorry, I-” Ellie offers her a sheepish grin. “We can- we can keep talking in here.” She opens the door, taking Dina’s hand in hers properly and leading her to the couch inside. 

The room is sparsely decorated. A large workbench sits under the window in the corner, bracketed on either side by shelves built into the wall that are half-filled with art supplies and a robot figurine. A small bathroom seems to be separated off from the kitchenette, which is empty apart from several paint-speckled glasses and some dirty mugs. 

A smaller bench along the back houses several stacked canvases but Dina can’t tell whether they are painted or blank. Several band posters are tacked up onto the walls, and the wall beside Ellie’s desk has a large notice board filled with small sketches and some photographs. A record player sits on the coffee table in front of the couch, taking up almost half the surface, and several open boxes stacked with records sit beside it. A stack of sketchbooks lay discarded on the floor near Ellie’s desk, and several more canvases lean against the wall.

“Dina?” Ellie asks softly, breaking Dina from her observations. 

“Sorry, yes,” Dina says, shaking her head and focusing back on Ellie. They sit beside each other on the couch, and Dina shifts to sit cross-legged, facing Ellie directly. Ellie mirrorsher, their knees pressed together, and Dina takes both of Ellie’s hands in hers. “I don’t know what it was like for you, I couldn’t possibly know, but I… I lost my mother when I was twelve,” Dina says calmly, watching as Ellie’s eyes widen. “She was bitten as well, and- and she made sure she didn’t turn… it was one of the worst days of my life.”

“One of the worst?” Ellie asks, whispering the words without thinking. 

“Not long after we got to Jackson,” Dina continues, her voice a bit flat and robotic. “Within weeks the cure came, and Talia got it. She started patrols not long after. She- she had been restless for a long time, really struggling with sitting still, y’know?” Dina says, smiling weakly at Ellie’s nod. “Put her hand up for patrols straight away, and she, uh, she was the  _ first  _ person in Jackson to be bitten.”

“I’m so sorry,” Ellie says sincerely, squeezing Dina’s hands. 

“And that-” Dina takes a shaky breath. “We  _ knew  _ she had the cure, the brand was still healing on her wrist. And yet- they still weren’t sure… they put her in this cell near the front gate to be watched. I was in pieces and she was shell-shocked. It-” Dina wipes at her eyes, clenching her jaw. “Those cells were awful. She was the first one in them, and they were  _ bare _ .” The words fall from her lips bitterly. “Barren and cold. That’s not what she needed.”

“Did she-? How long-?” Ellie stutters.

“Irene crocheted her a blanket, and Lark would bring her tea, I would read to her, hold her hand through the bars… it was four days before they let her out,” Dina says softly. “The cells are really different now, they’re warm and have proper beds and books and children’s drawings on the walls…”

Ellie nods. 

“The suspicion was understandable, I- it’s still something they do but its not as isolating and cold, and- it was really fucking hard,” Dina says continues. “It didn’t even happen to me but it just- it felt like I was losing her. It brought back everything that happened with Ma and I- I really needed my sister and Talia couldn’t be there for me.”

Ellie interlaces their fingers together, pulling their joined hands into her lap. 

“She was catatonic, barely responsive to anything until Irene started bringing watercolours on the third day… they still paint together every weekend,” Dina smiles weakly. “I slept in their spare room until Talia came back home, and she- she took a long time to recover from it. Never went on patrol again.”

“Your sister is a really nice person,” Ellie says. “I’m glad she was okay.”

Dina bites her lip, wiping at the tears in her eyes. “And that was  _ with  _ a vaccine.”

Ellie’s eyes drop to her lap. 

“She- all of that  _ pain _ … that was  _ with  _ a vaccine,” Dina repeats firmly. “I don’t think for a second that I could understand what  _ you  _ went through.” Dina falters. “You don’t owe me or anyone  _ anything _ .” 

When Ellie looks back up her eyes are shiny and wet, she swallows thickly and opens her mouth as though to speak but no words come out. 

“And just because I’ve shared doesn’t mean you need to,” Dina adds, squeezing Ellie’s hands. 

“I am… thankful for the cure,” Ellie says, licking her lips as she tries to find her words. “I’m glad that the Fireflies figured it out and that it’s helping people, saving people,” she continues, squeezing Dina’s hands. “I just wish no one knew who I was. It’s- it’s fucking hard to go through something like that, to- to lose people, and for everyone to  _ define  _ you by that moment,” Ellie says. “To be reduced to  _ just that _ . The immune girl.”

Dina grits her teeth, willing herself not to interrupt.  _ You’re so much more than that. _

“And it’s hard cause I can’t blame them,” Ellie continues. “This- this is all I could do, and my life meant something because of it. But it- ugh, it’s so dumb,” Ellie huffs.

“It’s not dumb,” Dina interjects firmly, holding Ellie’s eyes. 

“It feels silly sometimes to feel this bitter about something that- that I know people see as a good thing, it is a good thing. It’s what I wanted too. I’m glad you didn’t lose Talia,” Ellie says. “I’m relieved this  _ actually happened.  _ That the vaccine actually happened. I had to fight so hard, and go through  _ so much _ just to get there… I just, I’m really ready to move past it. I don’t want to think about it anymore. I feel like moving here is my new start and- some people sucked at first but I feel like people are seeing me now?” Ellie laughs quietly. “Like- like you. I feel like you  _ get  _ me.”

“I’m trying to,” Dina says. 

“I just wanted to share some of this with you, before- before I finish the tattoo.” Ellie lets go of Dina’s hand, holding her arm in front of her and staring intently at the tattoo. “I don’t know why, it just felt like… like I’m closing that door behind me, and I wanted to share it with you first,” Ellie looks up to meet Dina’s eyes as Dina cradles her arm gently, letting herself brush the scarred skin with hesitant fingertips.

“Thank you,” Dina says. Her throat feels tight with emotion, and she tries to make her gratitude as clear as she can in her voice. 

They sit for a moment, both of their heads bowed, and Ellie leans her forehead against Dina’s head. “Endure and survive,” Ellie whispers. 

“Huh?”

“It’s a quote from my favourite comic, ‘Savage Starlight’,” Ellie grins, lifting her head back up. “I started collecting the comics when I met Joel, it took us about a year to find the Fireflies… we went through a lot of shit.”

“I can imagine,” Dina says quietly, thinking about her travels with Talia. 

“It makes me mad sometimes that people think I  _ did  _ something,” Ellie admits. 

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Ellie shrugs.

“You fought your way there, and you offered yourself up to make a cure,” Dina says. “You’re still the reason we have it.”

“The Fireflies were the one who created the cure, they did the science and figured it out,” Ellie replies flatly. “Joel was the one who got me to Salt Lake, Sam and Henry died helping us get through Pittsburgh, and Tess died helping us get out of Boston, and Riley…” She trails off, eyes watery. 

Dina bites her lip. “Ell, you don’t have to tell me if-”

“Riley saved my life,” Ellie says firmly, her eyes downcast. “She was my best friend and she was with me that night.”

“Ell, I’m  _ so  _ sorry-” Dina tries to say. 

“We were running, we were almost safe, she was safe…” Ellie says, looking back up to Dina, tears welling in her eyes. “I was the one who fell. I got bitten. She saved me,” Ellie grinds her teeth, taking a deep breath, her cheeks pink and blotchy. “She came back down to take care of me, and because of that she got bitten as well.”

Dina leans forward again, resting her head against Ellie’s, trying to offer her comfort. 

“It was her idea… I didn’t know what to do, she was the one who said we should wait it out,” Ellie shrugs. “‘Be all poetic and just lose our minds together’.”

“Ell…”

“She turned and I didn’t,” Ellie whispers. “She waited as long as she could, told me to leave when it got close and I- I heard the gunshot.” 

“I can’t imagine how hard that would have been,” Dina murmurs, her heart aching in her chest. 

“Her bite was on her left hand,” Ellie says, leaning back with closed eyes and blowing out a long breath. “Sam’s was on the back of his leg, and Tess was bitten on her shoulder.” Her words are broken by a hiccup, she speaks slowly and carefully, voice tight, and several tears slip down her cheeks. 

Dina cradles her face in her hands, wiping her tears with her thumbs tenderly. 

“And you know what?” Ellie says, biting her lip. “Sam turned but maybe Tess wouldn’t have…  _ we don’t know.  _ Maybe I’m not that special. I could have been killed by the runner and we never would have known.”

Dina’s heart aches at the thought of never meeting Ellie and the loss of so many people in her life. Talia, Brodie, Lark, Bella… she didn’t know the number of second chances that the cure had given Jackson so far, let alone elsewhere. 

“That could have happened before. People could have never been bitten, or had their necks ripped out with no chance to check, or- or maybe they killed themselves or sacrificed themselves so they never found out, or maybe they knew they were immune and weren’t able to find the Fireflies or hid just their immunity,” Ellie’s voice trails off, and she sniffles quietly. “I got lucky.  _ Repeatedly.”  _

“You survived,” Dina says quietly. 

“I- It’s just a hard time of year for me,” Ellie says softly, trying to blink back her tears. “I can’t help it.” 

Dina presses a kiss to Ellie’s temple, stroking her cheeks gently. 

“It was five years last week. Five years since Riley died,” Ellie continues, her voice cracking on Riley’s name. “I don’t- the guilt isn’t as strong as it used to be, I’m-” She sniffles. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been before. Things feel stable, calm, but- it’s always difficult around this time of year... the tattoo feels like I’m saying goodbye to that part of my life.”

“You’ll always remember her,” Dina offers. 

“But not in pain,” Ellie murmurs. “I want to focus on light and growth and- I’ve given a lot of thought to my tattoo,” she laughs sheepishly. “I think she would have liked it too.”

“I think that’s beautiful,” Dina says reassuringly. “I’m happy you’re doing this for yourself.” 

Ellie reaches up to cup Dina’s hand against her cheek, leaning into Dina’s touch. After a moment she pulls Dina’s hand down slightly, before pulling out her pendant from where it was tucked under her shirt. She holds it out for Dina to see, not taking it off her neck, and she turns the familiar Firefly symbol over to show ‘ _ Riley Abel’  _ with  _ ‘000129’ _ engraved on the other side. 

“Riley was a Firefly?” Dina asks hesitantly, fingers hovering over the pendant but not touching it. 

“She was going to be,” Ellie smiles sadly. “But she decided to stay instead.”

Dina nods, taking a moment to let Ellie continue if she wants to. “I was wondering why you wore a pendant when you aren’t a Firefly,” Dina adds, when Ellie doesn’t. 

“I had one back in Salt Lake, for ‘identification purposes’,” Ellie says mockingly. “I stopped wearing it a while ago,” Ellie says, softening. “Everyone knew who I was so,” she shrugs. “No one noticed I wasn’t wearing mine.”

“Can I-” Dina hesitates. 

“Yeah?” 

“Can I hug you right now?” Dina asks softly. Ellie smiles, dropping the pendant and leaning forward to hug Dina tightly. The embrace is a bit awkward, straining to stretch closer with their legs crossed in between them. “Thank you for sharing so much with me,” Dina murmurs, pressing several soft kisses into Ellie’s hair. “I know this must have been difficult.”

“Thank you for listening,” Ellie says, and Dina can feel her lips move against her shoulder. 

“Always.” Dina presses another kiss to Ellie’s cheek this time, pulling back from the hug and wiping Ellie’s face. Ellie’s cheeks were still blotchy, her nose pink, and her eyes puffy but dry now. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Ellie says. “I didn’t mean to cry, I’m not- like it’s sad but I’m not upset, I just can’t seem to ever talk about it without crying.” 

“I know the feeling,” Dina takes Ellie’s hands back in hers, lifting them to her mouth to press a kiss to the back of each. 

“Did you wanna ask me any questions?” Ellie offers. “It’s okay.”

“I’m not sure if I should,” Dina says.

“You can ask me anything you want, free pass,” Ellie says. “I trust you.” 

Dina bites her lip, Ellie’s words hitting her deeply. She tries to think of what she wants to ask specifically, looking back down at the pendant and to Ellie’s red eyes. “Can you tell me about Riley?”

“Yeah,” Ellie takes a shaky breath. “We were, um, we were at a mall when it happened-”

“Ell,” Dina interrupts with a gentle smile. “I don’t mean about what happened, just… whatever you want, what was she like? Did she like comics too? How did you meet her?”

Ellie laughs, ducking her head and thinking deeply for a moment. She purses her lips, looking back up to Dina. “She was tough as fuck, and kind of an asshole,” Ellie grins. 

“Sounds like someone you’d get along with,” Dina says, thinking of Abby. 

“I grew up in Boston QZ, got into some shit and was moved into a new school when I was thirteen. Had some older kids try to beat the shit out of me on the first day,” Ellie says. “Riley beat the fuck out of both of them, told one of the guys that she’d stomp on his fucking balls.”

“She sounds like someone  _ I’d _ get along with,” Dina laughs.

“They were trying to steal my Walkman,” Ellie says with a smile. “She stopped them, and ran off before I got in shit for fighting on my  _ first  _ day.”

Dina smiles, squeezing Ellie’s hands in hers. 

Ellie shakes her head. “Only realised later that  _ she  _ stole my fucking Walkman.”

“She defended you in a fight and then stole from you?” Dina asks. 

“Touch as fuck and kind of an asshole,” Ellie repeats wryly. “She really believed in the Fireflies, their mission, their morality…” Ellie sighs. “We got into so much shit together, had water guns confiscated, got into fist fights, threw smoke grenades at the military…”

“Wait, what?”

Ellie laughs. “We were shithead kids… it was difficult being in the QZ, I understand why she looked up the Fireflies so much, she was always so restless, I think we all were.” 

“My Ma was like that,” Dina offers quietly. “Restless. She- she never really had the chance to be anything else.”

“What do you mean?”

“She was nineteen when the outbreak happened, only realised a couple weeks later that she was pregnant with Talia. She had a baby in a fucking warzone… had me a couple years later, I don’t know what happened with our father, she never talked about it.” 

“She must have been a strong woman.”

“She was incredibly strong, perceptive, brave,” Dina smiles sadly. “She was always restless though, never sat still. Had to recheck the locks, check on us, re-count the supplies, kept us moving…” 

“She protected you.”

“Talia was a lot like that after we lost her,” Dina says. “She was sixteen and just- took on the role entirely, almost lost herself in it… that’s part of why she was so restless when we found Jackson. She needed to keep moving, keep checking over her shoulder, and she couldn’t relax inside the walls.” 

“And then she got bitten,” Ellie finishes for her. 

“It was like she needed to find herself,” Dina says quietly. “And she didn’t know who she was when she wasn’t playing ‘mother’. There’s a clear divide in my head, Talia before and Talia after.”

“I kind of see my life like that too,” Ellie admits. 

“I imagine it would be hard not to.”

“Yeah,” Ellie agrees.

“I think my Ma would have liked Jackson,” Dina says. “I sometimes wonder if she would have found peace here like Talia did.”

“I think she would have,” Ellie says reassuringly. “I think- I think Riley would have liked it as well. The space to just… exist and grow.”

“And play video games?” Dina asks teasingly. 

Ellie laughs. “There was this one arcade game that she loved,” she says. Dina hums, asking Ellie to continue. “It was called The Turning, I never got to play it properly but her favourite character was Angel Knives.”

“Angel Knives?”

“She was brutal,” Ellie says. “Would punch a hole in the enemy’s stomach, and then kick their head off.” 

“She didn’t- she didn’t use knives?” Dina laughs. 

“It was like a fighting game? So… I’m not sure if she used them?” Ellie says thoughtfully. “Just kinda punched people.”

“Well,” Dina says with a teasing smile. “I suppose anything is better than that racing game.”

“You loved Jak X and you know it!” 

“It was… certainly a game,” Dina says diplomatically, grinning as Ellie groans. 

“A good game,” Ellie taunts her, leaning in as she does so.

“Sure,” Dina smiles as she tucks a loose lock of hair behind Ellie’s ear, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder for a quiet moment. 

“Did you- did you want to see her?” Ellie asks hesitantly. 

“Yeah,” Dina agrees easily. 

Ellie grins, groaning slightly as she gets up from the couch, wiggling her legs as she walks to get rid of the stiffness. Dina stretches as she follows Ellie over to the noticeboard beside her desk. Ellie smiles as Dina joins her, pointing out the faded polaroid in the centre of the drawings and other photos. It’s the oldest photo on the noticeboard; two of the corners are peeling away, and specks of blood that had been partially cleaned linger in the lower left corner. 

It shows two young girls smiling easily with bright eyes. Riley holds the camera up with both hands, and Ellie’s hand curls around Riley, her chin on Riley’s shoulder. Every other photo is pinned carelessly to the board, but the polaroid is pinned carefully at each corner, the pins passing through the white border rather than the photo itself. 

“It’s the only photo I have of her,” Ellie says quietly. “It’s, um, it’s pretty beat up, been through a lot.” 

“I’m glad you still have it,” Dina says softly. Ellie’s face is more round in the photo, with less freckles on her cheeks, and she looks so young that Dina struggles to imagine what the two girls had been through together. “You were both really cute,” Dina adds, offering Ellie a teasing smile. “What happened to you?” 

“Oh, fuck you,” Ellie laughs, knocking her shoulder against Dina. 

Dina lets her eyes drift across the noticeboard. There’s a couple polaroids of Abby and Ellie, one of Ellie flipping off the camera with narrowed eyes, and another of Abby holding out a hand which covers half the photo, her face clearly frustrated. There’s one of them sitting together in front of a full bookshelf, perhaps in a library, their shoulders pressed together, small smiles on their faces, and they look at least a couple years younger. 

There are two photographs with Joel; the first shows a much younger Ellie smiling shyly and holding a guitar with Joel sitting beside her, looking at her with a proud smile rather than toward the camera. The second photo is more recent, Ellie looking closer to how she looks now, both of them grinning widely at the camera, Joel’s arm wrapped around Ellie’s shoulders. 

“You two are such goofballs,” Dina says, leaning in to look at the photos closely. 

“Rude,” Ellie laughs. 

“Giraffes, huh?” Dina adds, nodding toward the detailed sketch of two giraffes standing together, an adult and a child. 

“I’ve opened my heart to you,” Ellie says, pausing dramatically. “And you’re making fun of my art.”

Dina laughs, “So… Which one is you and which one is Abby?”

“Clearly neither, Abby’s neck is much fucking wider than that,” Ellie scoffs. 

“Can I see any more of your art?” Dina asks slyly, trailing a hand up Ellie’s arm. 

“That depends on whether or not you’re gonna be a dick,” Ellie teases back. She grabs Dina’s hand as it reaches her shoulder and presses a quick kiss to the back of it. “Wanna get dinner soon? Together?”

“I would love that,” Dina says sincerely, fighting the urge to hug Ellie, to kiss her.  _ Not now.  _ Ellie’s eyes are still a bit red, her nose pink, and Dina didn’t want to push her.  _ This is enough.  _

_ This is a lot.  _

_ She said she trusts me.  _

“Here’s some of my newer stuff,” Ellie says, letting go of Dina’s hand to pull forward a large sketchbook from the back of her desk. “You have to be nice to me though,” she says playfully, waiting for Dina to nod before pushing it over to her. 

Dina flicks through it slowly, taking in the watercolour illustrations of Jackson. They show the view from the back paddocks, the view from the hills looking down on Jackson, the lush green of the forests, interspersed with a range of sketches in pen and pencil of familiar buildings and trees. 

“This is  _ lovely _ ,” Dina says genuinely. “I never see you draw, how are you able to capture this so well?” Her eyes linger on the quick sketch of Jackson’s front gates, standing ajar, half open to show a figure approaching with arms spread in welcome, clearly Joel from the stature and hair. 

“I do a lot of quick sketches in my journal,” Ellie admits. “It feels easy to do things from memory later, I usually think about it a bit before putting it in this book.”

Ellie nods to her journal as she talks, likely not realising she does so until Dina reaches for the journal sitting on the desk without thinking. 

“Wait- I-” Ellie says grabbing Dina’s arm quickly, Dina freezes. “That’s a  _ private  _ journal.”

Dina raises an eyebrow playfully. “But we’re so close now?” She lets the joke sit for half a second before continuing. “I’m kidding, you don’t need to show me.”

“A girl’s gotta keep some secrets,” Ellie says playfully. 

“Right, right,” Dina laughs. “Don’t wanna reveal your secret crush, or something,” she teases, her cheeks flushing as she does so. “So, dinner?”

“Yeah, dinner,” Ellie says, a small frown on her face as she watches Dina head for the door. 

Ellie follows her to the door, but only speaks again when Dina reaches out to open it. 

“Just to be clear,” Ellie says quietly, her voice intense, and she pauses. 

Dina turns when Ellie doesn’t continue, finding Ellie closer than she expected. Ellie steps closer, their bodies almost touching and Dina stumbles back half a step until she’s almost pressed against the door, her hands hovering hesitantly over Ellie’s hips. 

“You know I like you, right?” Ellie says seriously, reaching up to caress Dina’s cheek gently, calloused fingers touching her softly. “I’m not thinking about anyone else.”

“Okay,” Dina mumbles breathlessly. 

“Are we on the same page?” Ellie says slowly, eyes searching Dina’s as she cradles her jaw.

“Yeah,” Dina murmurs, her eyes wide and her heart beating loudly in her chest.

Ellie waits a moment before kissing her slowly, tentatively, sweetly. Dina melts into it.

Ellie licks her lips as she pulls back, pressing another quick kiss to Dina’s lips like she can’t help herself. “Okay?” She murmurs softly, and Dina captures her lips again. The kiss is slow, wet and open mouthed, and Dina can hear herself whimper quietly when Ellie’s tongue brushes across her lower lip. 

Dina’s hands grip Ellie’s hips. Her chest pressed against Ellie’s feels overly warm, and she groans as Ellie’s hands slide forward into her hair, scratching gently at her scalp, the soft touch causing chills along her arms. The kiss is intimate, tender, and Dina ends it sooner than she’d like. She’s breathless, unable to keep her lips pursed from the width of her smile, and her cheeks ache. She giggles against Ellie’s mouth, feeling Ellie’s breath still on her lips as they press their foreheads together. Ellie wraps her arms securely around her neck, Dina hugging her around the waist tightly, and they cling to each other giddily. 

“That was-” Ellie pants, a dopey smile on her face. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot.”

“I’ve been thinking about you a lot,” Dina admits. 

Ellie presses a gentle kiss to Dina’s cheek, before tucking her face into Dina’s with a little sigh. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END (lol, i'm joking - we're not even halfway through the plot yet)  
> Hope you liked the update and that they finally fucking talked, let me know what you think :)
> 
> If you wanna yell at me, my tumblr user: @respectablesentiment  
> If you wanna yell with me, my twitch: @grumblebum1


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gracefully beta'd once again by my gf.

They linger in their embrace for a long moment, swaying against each other, until Dina’s cheeks begin to ache from smiling.

“Dinner?” Ellie asks softly, pressing a kiss to the edge of Dina’s jaw as she lifts her head to rest her cheek against Dina’s. 

Dina nods jerkily, fighting the urge to nuzzle into Ellie’s neck, to kiss and nip at her skin, to insist they stay inside for longer.  _ There’s no rush.  _

“Cool,” Ellie grins, squeezing Dina tightly once more before taking her hand to leave.

Ellie drops her hand at the gate. 

“You okay?” Dina asks, lifting her eyes from their hands to look at Ellie’s face. Her brow is furrowed and she looks worried. Apprehensive. Her cheeks are no longer as flushed from crying but her eyes are still a little red and the tip of her nose a soft pink. 

Abby is standing at the bottom of the porch across the street; she must have been leaving the house when she spotted them. She strides toward them, eyes narrowing further as she approaches. 

“What the fuck did you do to her?” Abby hisses, shoulders squared, jaw clenched. “I fucking knew this would happen.”

“Abby-” Ellie starts, holding her hands up placatingly. 

Dina doesn’t consider her reaction, her brain still lagging from the previous conversation to handle this with any sense of propriety or self-preservation. “What the fuck does that mean?” she asks, puffing herself up as Abby approaches to tower over her. 

“Come on-”

“What the  _ fuck  _ do you think it means?” Abby snarls. “I’m going to flatten you.” 

“Abby!” Ellie yells.

Abby’s hands are clenched into fists by her sides but the fact that she hasn’t raised a fist makes Dina grin. “I’d like to see you try,” Dina taunts, shoving at Abby’s chest. Abby’s feet don’t move, and she only rocks back slightly at the movement. 

“Would you?” Abby asks, and with open palms she shoves Dina back. Despite the apparent lack of effort, Dina stumbles back several feet. 

“Dude!” Ellie yells, planting herself firmly between the two of them. “Abby!” 

“She made you fucking cry,” Abby hisses, her eyes not leaving Dina. “I knew I couldn’t trust you.” 

“Fuck you,” Dina fires back. “I didn’t do shit!”

“Stop!” Ellie says, raising her voice over both of theirs. “I can cry if I want to cry, it’s  _ fine. _ ”

“Doesn’t look fine,” Abby says bitterly, grinding her teeth but taking a couple of steps back. 

“Please, just chill out,” Ellie pleads. She stands between them again, holding her hands out as though she doesn’t trust them to behave. “You’re both my best friends, neither of you is trying to-”

“Excuse me,” Abby grits. “Both?  _ Both?”  _ She points a finger at Dina. “This bitch is new, don’t put us on the same fucking level.”

“I just want you to get along,” Ellie says more quietly. “You’re both important to me.”

Dina smiles smugly at Abby over Ellie’s shoulder, her smiling widening as she watches Abby seethe. 

“Dina, can you- can you just give us a moment, please?” Ellie asks, looking back at her. 

Dina schools her face into a neutral expression as quickly as she can and nods, watching as Ellie grabs Abby by the arm and leads her a little further away. 

“Dude, what the fuck was that?” Ellie hisses. 

“She made you fucking cry,” Abby says flatly. “You think I can’t tell? Look at your face.”

“I shared what I wanted to, and sometimes people cry,” Ellie sighs, her cheeks turning a little pink from embarrassment; Dina averts her eyes, knowing she shouldn’t be eavesdropping. It doesn’t help that they didn’t walk far enough and Dina barely has to strain her ears to hear their low voices. 

“I don’t trust her,” Abby says pointedly. 

“I asked you to work with me,” Ellie says. “You don’t have to trust her, just trust me and please just  _ try  _ to be nice to her.”

“I am trying,” Abby says petulantly. 

“You just threatened to flatten her,” Ellie says, raising her voice slightly. “What do you call that?”

“A  _ genuine  _ attempt,” Abby responds.

“Abs…”

“I’m making no promises,” Abby huffs.

There’s a quiet moment and Dina fights the urge to turn around. 

“You sure you’re alright?” Abby asks quietly. 

“I’m good, I promise,” Ellie reassures her. 

Dina hears footsteps behind her and turns to see Ellie leading Abby back towards her. Abby stops in front of Dina and crosses her arms.. 

“I was going to go to the diner,” Abby offers tersely, her jaw clenched. “Do you want to come?” She sounds as though it’s the last thing she wants to ask.

“We were actually headed there for dinner,” Ellie says. 

Abby blinks. “So are you coming?” she asks flatly. 

“Yes,” Ellie rolls her eyes. “You can buy Dina a drink to apologise for being a dick.”

Abby scoffs quietly, but doesn’t disagree. 

Dina grits her teeth, ducking her head and telling herself dutifully to behave.  _ Fucking Abby.  _

Ellie offers her an apologetic smile when she looks back up. 

“Let’s go?” Abby says, not understanding the tension between them. 

They walk to the diner in an uncomfortable silence, Ellie still looking a little peeved at Abby. Ellie and Dina walk closely, their hands brushing against each other, but Ellie doesn’t take her hand so Dina doesn’t take hers. 

_ Fucking Abby.  _

\--

They enter the diner and Abby perks up as she sees Cat reading in a corner booth. She leads Ellie and Dina to the booth without a second glance.  _ This is just fucking perfect _ , Dina thinks as she grits her teeth.  _ Couldn’t think of anyone better to fucking join us.  _

“Oh hello, my babes,” Cat says, lifting her eyes from her book to look at them critically as they walk over. Her gaze is intense, sweeping over all of them and lingering in a different way each time. 

“Cat,” Abby greets pleasantly, sliding into the booth beside her and letting Dina and Ellie take the other side. 

“Abby,” Cat says curtly. “Ellie, long time no see,” she purrs, reaching out across the table to pat her hand. “It’s been too long,” she adds in a sultry tone, her grin slipping into a smirk as she looks Dina out of the corner of her eye. 

“It’s been a few hours,” Ellie laughs. 

“You missed me though, didn’t you?” Cat asks. 

“Always,” Ellie smiles, patting Cat’s hand before moving her hands under the table. 

Dina crosses her arms, placing them on the table to try to stop herself from touching Ellie. Ellie puts her hand on Dina’s knee and Dina fights the urge to shift, not wanting to give anything away in front of Abby. 

There’s a moment of awkward silence as Dina and Abby stare at one another, Cat watching on in undisguised interest, eyes flicking between the two.

“So, I heard you had a good time with Brodie the other night… and day,” Dina grits out, as a peace offering. 

“Yeah, it was very good,” Abby nods. 

“You gonna hang out with him again?” Dina asks curiously. 

Abby shrugs, Cat watching appraisingly. “He’s alright, but I’m a one and done kind of girl at the moment.”

“That’s fair,” Dina nods. “In a place like Jackson though, you might run out of options fast with that attitude.”

“I’m not looking to stay here long term so that’s fine,” Abby dismisses.

“Really?” Dina asks, unable to stop herself.

“I’m here as a favour, I’ll eventually move on and help with a proper Firefly assignment when one comes up,” Abby explains. 

“Anyway,” Ellie interjects, a frown settled onto her figures. “I’m gonna go get a drink.” She squeezes Dina’s knee, before sliding out of the booth and stalking off. 

Both Cat and Dina frown at Abby. 

“Was that necessary?” Dina demands. 

“It's not like I said something that Ellie doesn’t know,” Abby says, sneering back at Dina. “Besides, it’s none of your business.”

Cat bristles in her seat but doesn’t say anything. 

“I don’t like you,” Dina tells her flatly.  _ You’re an asshole.  _

“Funny, that,” Abby scoffs. 

“I think…” Cat drawls, looking between the two of them. “That you two could get out this aggression in some fun ways.”

Dina rolls her eyes so hard she can feel a dull ache. 

“And I would love to watch,” Cat adds, her tone dripping in forced sincerity. 

Abby rubs her eyes in exasperation but ignores her input. 

Ellie returns with a round of drinks for all of them, placing the tray carefully on the table before sliding into the booth. She sits closer than necessary to Dina, their sides touching, and Dina feels acutely aware of Ellie’s warmth through her flannel. 

“Fuck me,” Brodie whines as he approaches. “Did I miss the first shout?” He slumps his shoulders, pouting at Ellie like he expects her to care. If Dina thought much of Abby’s handful of hickies, she wasn’t prepared to see Brodie’s neck; dark bruises mottle both sides of his throat, dipping past the curve of his neck and under his shirt collar.

“Yes, you did,” Ellie tells him without sympathy. 

“Ugh,” he huffs, before walking gingerly over to the bar. Ellie watches him with interest, half leaning out of the booth to watch him. 

“See something you like, Ellie?” Abby asks in amusement.

Ellie rolls her eyes. “Really? I mean, not even him?” she asks, pointing to him over her shoulder as she turns back. “He’s sweet.”

“Ellie, I’m not looking for anything,” Abby says. “I just wanna smash some babes, and I’ve smashed that one.”

“Nice,” Dina says snidely. “He looks like you mauled him,” she adds flatly, sipping her drink slowly.

“I love smashing a good babe,” Cat interjects, raising her drink in toast toward them and winking. Dina is unsure who the wink was directed at, and fights her frown as Ellie laughs. 

_ We just fucking kissed, I know where I stand,  _ Dina tells herself.  _ Ignore her. _

As Brodie returns, he slides into the available space beside Ellie, more room available there from her proximity to Dina. Ellie shuffles over unnecessarily to make further room for him, the length of her thigh pressed warmly against Dina’s.  _ We should have stayed in that fucking garage,  _ Dina thinks.

“I can’t believe you were late for drinks with me, Brodes,” Cat says teasingly. “I had to find some company to keep me warm, how could you?”

“I’m a dick, I know,” he rolls his eyes affectionately. “The walk home is going to be awkward.”

“You’re sleeping on the couch,” Cat grins. 

Brodie cackles. 

“So Ellie,” Cat starts, turning to Ellie. “Are you going to share with the class, or do we want to wait until you reach peak sexiness?”

“Sure,” Ellie agrees, more easily than Dina anticipated. She holds her arm out over the table, only rolling the cuff up twice to reveal about half of the tattoo and not the scar, so that only the very tip of the moth’s wings peek out. 

Brodie whistles at her, “Daaaamn.” 

“This looks amazing, Ellie,” Abby says sincerely, squeezing Ellie’s hand momentarily. “I’m happy for you.”

“So, while I have both of you here… what do you think about piercings?” Cat says, looking at Abby and then to Ellie curiously. 

“They are unnecessary and unsanitary,” Dina interjects, eyeing the numerous piercings on Cat’s ears.

“Hot, though,” Brodie says with a smirk. 

“Unsanitary? How dare you?” Cat says. “I do excellent work and I take it seriously, I’m in the best in town-”

“Cause you’re the only one in town,” Dina interrupts again.

Cat grins, nodding toward Ellie. “Then look at Ellie right now and say her tattoo isn’t fucking perfect for her.”

Dina thinks about the crisp delicate lines, the care taken to be steady over the uneven skin, the meaning behind the tattoo. “It was her design,” she shrugs.

“But it was Cat’s handiwork,” Ellie says unhelpfully, knocking her shoulder against Dina and grinning cheekily at her.

“See, babe, Ellie likes what I can do with my hands,” Cat says lowly, leaning across the table to look at Dina closely, biting her lip. “Then again… you always did prefer my mouth.”

Dina narrows her eyes,  _ she’s such a little fucking shit,  _ she thinks.  _ Ellie knows where I stand now…  _ “It was always the best way to shut you up,” Dina fires back. 

Cat’s eyes widen and she hoots gleefully. “Fucking finally,” she cheers, smacking the table with her hands. “My best friend is back, you’re fucking normal again. I’ve  _ missed  _ you.” 

“Hey, I’m right here,” Brodie whines playfully. 

“Jesse’s my best friend,” Dina says plainly.

Cat grins, her voice softening. “Bosom buddies, then?” She suggests playfully. “Close personal bed mates… gal pals?” 

Dina laughs as Cat teases her, moreso at the clear astonishment on Abby’s face. 

Abby blinks, turning slowly to look at Cat beside her. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Abby asks with a furrowed brow. 

“Nothing,” Cat says cheekily, pressing a kiss to Abby’s cheek. “I’m a fucking delight,” she whispers in her ear loud enough for everyone to hear. “Besides,” she continues, lifting a hand to scratch at Abby’s undercut. “Your opinion only half counts ‘cause you have horrible taste in books.”

“I’ve told you this before Catch-22 was bullshit,” Abby complains. “His prose was confused,  _ he  _ was confused, and nothing made any fucking sense. I mean what was the point of all the characters? And the timeline?”

Cat nods along as she talks, humming in interest and giving small ‘ahh’s as though she’s listening very intently. 

“Like who even was Snowden? And what even  _ is _ Catch-22? It was so bad I couldn’t finish it. It’s a joke,” Abby finishes with a huff, squinting down at Cat sitting beside her, the large height difference between the two of them making Dina grin. 

“I’m sorry,” Cat says slowly. “I missed all of that, could you say it again?” 

“Fuck you,” Abby says flatly. 

“Mmm, like I said, you have horrible judgement,” Cat smirks, laughing, before turning to Ellie. “So Ellie, can I cash in one of my drinks now?”

“I just bought you a drink,” Ellie says, nodding toward the almost empty glass in Cat’s hand.

Cat finishes it quickly, slamming it back before grinning at Ellie and replying, “I would like another one.”

“You’re the boss,” Ellie shrugs, “Anyone else?”

Everyone else shakes their head, their drinks still mostly full. 

“What do you mean, one of your drinks?” Abby asks curiously as Ellie heads to the bar. 

Cat laughs. “Oh, Ellie is paying me back with drinks for a bit. My idea.”

“How generous of you,” Dina murmurs, her eyes narrowed at Cat. 

“It’s a win-win scenario,” Cat smirks. 

“Hey Dina,” Ellie calls from the bar. “Did you still want some food?” She waves her over, and Dina smiles apologetically at Brodie as he lets her out of the booth. “I forgot what kind of burger you like.”

“Can’t believe our date got gate-crashed,” Dina huffs quietly as she walks over. “By three fucking dipshits.” 

“Date, huh?” Ellie says, wiggling her eyebrows. 

“You’re very brave,” Dina tells her. “What’s gotten into you?”

“You’ve been flirting with me for weeks,” Ellie says, lowering her voice. She reaches out and fidgets with Dina’s shirt, smoothing down the fabric on her shoulder like she’s fixing it,but Dina can tell she’s looking for an excuse to touch her. “Very very openly, and then you ask me about Cat,” she says, shaking her head. 

“Still deciding, hun?” Rachel calls from the other edge of the bar. 

“Yep, so many options, sorry,” Ellie replies, looking down at the menu. “I know you want a plain beef burger with tomato ‘if they have it’, don’t worry,” Ellie laughs to herself quietly. 

“I guess you could say you make me nervous too,” Dina says softly, thinking back to their day playing video games. 

“I don’t feel that nervous today,” Ellie says, raising her chin and smirking at Dina cheekily. 

“That tattoo gave you some confidence, didn’t it?” Dina asks teasingly. 

“Maybe,” Ellie shrugs. “But I was still super nervous when I found you earlier to talk.” Her smile turns a bit more bashful as she looks down at the menu.

“I’m glad you did,” Dina murmurs, stepping close to Ellie as though she’s peering at the menu too, her hand resting over Ellie’s. “I’m glad you kissed me as well.”

“It didn’t seem like you were going to take the opportunity,” Ellie teases. 

“You’re a bit insufferable when you’re confident,” Dina tells her. “Did you know that?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ellie says, licking her lips as she meets Dina’s eyes.

_ She is going to kill me,  _ Dina thinks.  _ She was all nervous and cute, and now she’s going to kill me.  _

Ellie waves Rachel over placing an order for Dina’s burger, fries for herself and Cat’s drink. “You sure you don’t want another drink?” Ellie asks, looking back to Dina over her shoulder. 

“I’m taking it easy, you saw me yesterday,” Dina laughs. 

“You’re right, you’re right,” Ellie nods, thanking Rachel for the drink before heading back to their seats. They shuffle in beside Brodie, Dina in the middle and Ellie on the outside of the both. Dina’s back feels like it burns from where Ellie guides her into the booth; it’s an unnecessary touch and they both know it. 

Abby doesn’t seem to notice but Cat’s eyes linger on her. Cat lifts her eyebrow questioningly at Dina, and Dina pointedly ignores her. 

“Your drink,” Ellie says, sliding it across to Cat. 

“Thanks, babe,” Cat grins. 

“How on earth did it take you that long to order a burger?” Abby asks. 

“I was looking at the menu,” Ellie explains. 

“What could you possibly order other than a burger?” Abby says dismissively. 

“Literally any of the other things they have?” Ellie replies sarcastically, her hand moving to rest on Dina’s knee, hidden under the table. 

They talk easily for some time. It’s only when Ellie and Dina’s food arrives that Abby, Brodie and Cat make their way to the bar to order their own food. Dina ends up in her original place tucked against the wall, Ellie’s thumb rubbing circles softly on the inside of her thigh, close enough to her knee to be innocent, but the heat of it through her jeans still gives her butterflies as the others return to their seats. 

“So Ellie and I are hoping to talk our way onto the scouting patrol next week,” Abby says as she steals one of Ellie’s fries, still waiting for her food. “Are you lot going?”

“The northern patrol?” Cat confirms, and grins when Abby nods. “That would be so good if you two came, I’ve got a really comfy sleeping bag and I’m open to sharing.”

“All three of us couldn’t possibly fit,” Ellie interjects with a smirk. 

“I guess you’ll have to fight it out,” Cat laughs. “I would love to see that.”

“I’m not fighting Ellie,” Abby says. 

“I think I’d also like to see that,” Brodie says slowly, grinning at Abby. “I bet Ellie would win.”

“I definitely fucking would,” Ellie insists, and she hits the table for emphasis, narrowing her eyes at Abby. “I’d  _ flatten  _ you.”

“You couldn’t flatten shit, pipsqueak,” Abby teases her. 

Dina almost chokes on her burger as she laughs, choking for a moment and then taking a sip of her drink to clear her throat. She almost immediately chokes again as Ellie’s pinches at her thigh, it’s not a proper pinch, just Ellie squeezing her hand where it sits, fingers splayed possessively on her leg - but it startles her nonetheless. 

Ellie’s smile seems to be a little smug when she asks if Dina’s okay. 

“Never better,” Dina manages to say. “I guess Abby is just really funny.”

“I’d have to disagree with you there,” Cat interjects.

“Fuck you,” Abby tells her. “I don’t wanna sleep in your sleeping bag anyway. I’ll find someone else,” she says teasingly, jostling Cat in the booth beside her. 

“That’s fine, I’ll still have Ellie,” Cat says, holding out a hand playfully to Ellie on the other side of the booth.

“Will you?” Ellie asks, raising an eyebrow as she looks at Cat’s hand and pointedly doesn’t take it. 

“Wow, everyone’s being such a bitch tonight,” Cat remarks, huffing. 

“We’re taking after you,” Dina grins. 

“We could only aspire to your greatness,” Brodie laughs, bowing his head at Cat. 

“Anyway, there are more than enough sleeping bags to go around,” Dina says, as Rachel drops off the others' food. Abby wrinkles her nose at Brodie having ordered pasta instead of a burger. “So no sharing will be needed.”

As Brodie and Cat begin to explain some of the route to an interested Abby, Ellie leans slightly closer to Dina and murmurs quietly, “That’s a shame.” Ellie scratches playfully at the inside of Dina’s thigh. The touch is light but Dina has to fight back a shiver at the tingles it causes. 

Dina looks at Ellie for a brief moment, biting her lip before trying to focus back on the main conversation without replying.  _ She is going to kill me.  _

\--

“So are your parties usually that messy?” Abby asks later, after the group is mostly finished eating. 

Cat narrows her eyes at her and the group as they laugh. “None of you can fucking talk,” Cat says in annoyance, throwing one of Ellie’s fries at Dina as she laughs. “They are normally messy, yes. But all of you were fucking awful.”

“Mateo threw up in our lavender bush,” Brodie says. 

“You two almost fucked on the couch,” Cat hisses back at him. 

Abby grins slyly, taking a sip from her drink but not commenting. 

“You two were a bit fucked,” Dina laughs. 

“I was definitely more than a bit fucked,” Brodie grins, wiggling his eyebrows at Abby. 

“Don’t fucking remind me,” Ellie groans, rubbing at her eyes with her free hand. 

“You two were no better either,” Cat tells them. “You both just napped in the yard. Fucking gone, all of you. Why can’t you be more like Bella? That dropkick never makes any trouble.” 

“She burnt a hole on our coffee table,” Brodie points out. 

“Anyway,” Ellie says quietly, pausing for a big yawn. 

Dina waits for the little squeak to come, but the yawn is silent.  _ I guess she needs to be super tired.  _

“I’m gonna go home and sleep, cause I’m fucking exhausted,” Ellie says. “Was good chatting though, I’ll leave you lot to it?” 

The others agree, Abby thankfully waving Ellie off and not rising to follow her. 

“I’m gonna head home as well,” Dina adds, nodding to the others. 

“I miss you both already,” Cat calls behind them as they head off. 

\--

As soon as they get outside, Dina turns to Ellie, catching her arm and making her pause. “Look, Ell,” she says seriously, biting her lip. “I want to make it super clear, so we’re on the same page… that I’m walking you home right now.”

Ellie laughs so loudly she wheezes, doubling over and holding her stomach.

Dina waits for her to quiet, starting to catch her breath before adding, “I just think it’s super important that we’re on the same page. Clear communication is important to me.”

“Fuck you,” Ellie manages to say before laughs, looping her arm through Dina’s as they head toward Ellie’s home. 

“Wow, the sex talk this early?” Dina asks, raising an eyebrow playfully. She presses closer to Ellie’s warm side, wishing she had brought a jumper. 

Ellie’s already-flushed face turns a brighter shade of red. “Sh-shut up,” she stammers, knocking her shoulder against Dina’s for emphasis. 

Dina tuts at her. “Where did the confidence go?” 

“Maybe you should kiss me and find out,” Ellie mutters under her breath, but Dina hears it anyway. 

Dina’s jaw drops looking at Ellie beside her, so thoroughly enamoured that she stumbles a little. “Wow, I’m really learning a new side of you today, Freckles,” Dina remarks.

Ellie grins at her bashfully, moving her hand down to take Dina’s properly and lead her through the yard and up to the porch. “I thought we established that we both have freckles,” Ellie grumbles. 

“Yes, but you have more freckles,” Dina says teasingly as they pause in front of Ellie’s door, turning to face each other. 

“I don’t think that’s correct,” Ellie says, looking at Dina warmly, the smile on her lips is soft, her eyes warm and Dina feels too breathless to reply. 

“Today was good,” Dina blurts out after the quiet moment lasts too long. 

“Today was very good,” Ellie agrees softly. 

“Can I kiss you?” Dina asks, tucking a loose lock of Ellie’s hair behind her ear. 

Ellie kisses her in reply, leaning forward to press their lips together chastely. She pulls back slightly, the edges of her lips curling as she steps closer, her chest flush against Dina’s, and her hands cup Dina’s hips and hold her firmly against her.

Dina kisses her again, hands sliding forward to cup the back of Ellie’s neck and scratching gently at Ellie’s scalp. She lets herself melt into the embrace; Ellie’s warmth is enveloping, and Dina feels almost immediately breathless with the butterflies in her stomach.

“I really like doing that,” Dina murmurs against Ellie’s lips. 

“I really like it too,” Ellie smiles, rubbing her nose gently against Dina’s. 

“We’re on the same page though?” Dina asks softly, running her fingers through Ellie’s hair at the nape of her neck. “I like you, you like me, we kiss now, Cat’s an asshole, agreed on all accounts?” 

“Agreed on all accounts,” Ellie laughs, smiling easily and pressing a quick kiss to Dina’s cheek **.**

“And we’re gonna see where this goes?” Dina asks, pulling back slightly to look at Ellie properly. 

Ellie bites her lip. 

“We’re not going to see where this goes?” Dina murmurs playfully, trying to read the hesitance on Ellie’s face. “This is something to talk about,” she adds, purposefully not moving back but waiting for Ellie to find her words. 

“I want to see where this goes,” Ellie says carefully. “I haven’t done this before,” she says, her hands tightening absently on Dina’s hips. “And Abby is an asshole, all of our friends are assholes-”

“Abby is an asshole,” Dina repeats reassuringly, kissing Ellie’s cheek. 

“Would it be okay if we just keep doing what we’re doing but keep-” Ellie scrunches her eyes shut, a blush settling on her cheeks, and Dina can feel the warmth of it as she rests her cheek against Ellie’s. “Keep new developments between us for a bit?” Ellie squeaks out. 

Dina smiles, rubbing her cheek against Ellie’s.  _ Her skin is so soft, what the fuck?  _ she thinks, as she hums and nuzzles closer. “We can keep things quiet, Abby’s overprotective and annoying, I understand,” Dina says softly. “I know you’re sick of people talking about you so I think taking things slowly and keeping things between us makes a lot of sense.” 

Dina can see Ellie’s shoulders relax against hers, Ellie’s arms wrapping around Dina’s waist and clasping together at the small of her back. “I really like you,” Ellie says. 

“I really like you too,” Dina smiles, kissing the very edge of Ellie’s jaw. “About Abby-”

“I don’t want her to mess things up between us,” Ellie says quickly. “I want her to trust me with myself, and I want you two to get along. She’s an important part of my life, and I actually think you two would get along quite well.” 

“I think she’s alright,” Dina says, pressing a soft kiss to the underside of Ellie’s jaw. “I’ll do my best to make it work,” Dina promises, kissing down the side of her neck, smirking as Ellie tilts her head to offer more skin to her. “As long as we don’t have any repeats of today-”

“Oh, I liked today,” Ellie mumbles breathlessly. 

Dina kisses the curve of Ellie’s neck. “I meant her trying to fight me, not us kissing.”

“Okay yeah,” Ellie agrees easily, pressing herself closer. “No more fighting.”

“Mmmm you know what would start a fight?” Dina murmurs, tugging the collar of Ellie’s flannel aside to press an open-mouthed kiss to the point where her neck meets her shoulder. Ellie makes a soft noise, almost a whimper, and it makes Dina weak at the knees. 

“What- what would start a fight?” Ellie asks dazedly as Dina lifts her head to look at her. 

“If she caught us at your front door like this,” Dina grins. 

“Oh,” Ellie blinks, swaying a little on her feet. “That’s- that’s true.”

“I should head home for the night,” Dina says, cupping Ellie’s cheeks to pull her into a soft kiss. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Ellie agrees quickly.

“Somewhere not at the diner, where we run into all of our annoying friends,” Dina suggests, fighting back a shiver in the night air as she steps back from Ellie’s warmth. “Cause we’re too lazy to cook and spend all our money on burgers.” 

“I’m on farm shift tomorrow until three, I can be showered and meet you at my ‘shed’ at like 3:30?” Ellie asks eagerly, watching Dina as she begins to walk away.

“At your shed, sure,” Dina laughs. “I’m at the clinic till four but I’ll head straight over after?” Dina asks, actually shivering this time.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Ellie says, coming down the steps to hug Dina tightly once more and shrugging off her flannel. “For the walk?”

Dina grins, thanking her and tugging on the flannel that she already knows she’ll never return. “You’re too kind,” she adds. 

“Please, I’m making you walk home alone,” Ellie teases. “I’m an asshole.”

“It’s good that we’re on the same page,” Dina calls back to her jokingly as she passes through the gate. 

\--

Talia wiggles her eyebrows at her when she finally comes home. “How’d you go?” She asks excitedly, turning off the tv to face Dina.

“We held hands,” Dina offers slowly.  _ I can probably tell her, but like… I’ll talk to Ellie first,  _ she thinks to herself. 

“Okay, so that’s something,” Talia says reassuringly. “Did you try to tell her you liked her? You two talked right?”

“I got close to it?” Dina says slowly,  _ technically not a lie.  _ “We ran into people at dinner and kinda hung out as a group.”

“Okay okay,” Talia nods. “And she was receptive when you got close to it?”

Dina blinks, feeling a little caught off guard.  _ My sister doesn’t count _ , she thinks to herself. “Uh- yeah-” she stammers awkwardly.  _ How do I restart this? _

Talia smiles sympathetically, coming over to hug Dina tightly. “All you can do is put yourself out there, talk to her properly when you have the courage,” she pulls back to look at Dina properly. “You’re fucking wonderful, she’d be lucky to have you.”

“She, um, she told me she liked me,” Dina admits softly. “And she kinda kissed me... we kissed quite a bit, actually.”

“I knew it,” Talia smiles, pulling Dina back into a tight hug. “Like, you’re a fucking catch and I knew it but I was gonna accept you giving me shit all information, I was so good.”

“You believed me,” Dina defends. “I’m a very convincing liar.” 

“It’s late and you came home wearing her flannel,” Talia laughs. “You need to try harder if you wanna hide something from me.” Talia pinches her cheek gently, wiggling Dina’s face with it. “Especially with that dopey grin.”

“Shut up,” Dina whines. “You should be in bed now anyway, it’s a school night.”

Talia scoffs. “Like I’m not going to stay up for you, I was gonna camp out on the couch.”

“It’s a good thing I came home, then,” Dina grins. 

“Duly noted,” Talia jokes, moving back to the couch to fold up the blanket she had been using. “I’m not waiting up for you again.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you-”

“You don’t have to tell me, I can tell,” Talia says teasingly. 

“We are- we are keeping it between us right now, seeing where it goes,” Dina offers, rubbing her arm a bit awkwardly. 

Talia stills, putting the folded blanket down on the couch and turning to Dina. “Honestly, sometimes that’s the best way to approach a relationship. It’s something new, you’re still figuring out if you’re compatible,” Talia says thoughtfully. “Jackson is a small town, everyone is in everyone’s business, it makes sense to wait a bit before sharing it with others.”

“I just want to spend more time with her at the moment,” Dina says. “I’m not that fussed about it, but I wanted to explain why I-”

“Hun,” Talia says calmly. “It’s alright to be quiet about things, I just like checking you’re okay. I’m here when you need me,” she tugs Dina into another quick hug, dropping a kiss to the top of her head before heading up the stairs. “Now go to bed,” she calls back over her shoulder. 

\--

Dina sleeps that night with Ellie’s flannel under her pillow and a smile on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very cheesy line to finish a very cheesy chapter. Also lmao I'm so sorry it's taken me three chapters to get through the events of a single Sunday - hopefully this won't happen again!  
> If you have the time, let me know what you think :)
> 
> If you wanna yell at me, my tumblr user: @respectablesentiment  
> If you wanna yell with me, my twitch: @grumblebum1


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gracefully beta'd once again by my gf.
> 
> Hi! Sorry for disappearing, Life is hectic and tiring.

Dina wakes early the next day, restless and excited and still too giddy from the previous night. She makes eggs on toast for herself and Talia for breakfast and manages to keep her expression even when Talia teases her for whistling as she butters the toast. She spends ten minutes arguing with herself about whether or not she can wear the flannel with how hot the day will likely be, the heat through her curtains having made itself known early in the morning. She decides to go without, but tucks it into her bag with her book just in case.

She’s grinning as she leaves the house, hugging Talia on her way and thinking about seeing Ellie again that afternoon. 

She loses her smile as soon as she looks up and finds Abby loitering near the front gate. 

“Can I help you?” Dina asks, raising an eyebrow as she approaches. 

Abby looks sullen and uncomfortable, her shoulders stiff and head down as she scuffs her shoe on the ground. “I was wondering if I could walk you to work, and we could talk?” she asks hesitantly. 

“Do I have a choice?” Dina asks cynically. _Fuck, Ellie told me to try_ , she reminds herself restlessly. 

Abby’s jaw clenches, lifting her head to look at Dina, stepping back slightly as she does so, and her shoulders are hunched like she’s trying to make herself smaller or less intimidating. “Yes, you do,” Abby says carefully. 

“Okay,” Dina nods, surprised at her response. “You can walk me to work, then.”

“Thank you,” Abby replies.

They’re halfway to the clinic before Abby speaks again. It's a relatively busy morning, most people walking to their respective work shifts or milling around the baker’s. 

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” Abby manages by the time the clinic is in view. 

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Dina says snidely. _Is this me being nice?_ She thinks afterwards, telling herself to stop running with her first thought.

Abby sighs, rubbing the back of her neck. “I felt like we reached an accord at the party,” Abby offers. “I know I was drinking but I don’t know, I felt like I shared and you got it.”

“I did get it,” Dina says, stopping to look at Abby. “I do get it,” she corrects.

“It just felt like I told you about what others did,” Abby says slowly, as though she’s trying to find the right words. “And then two days later you’re asking about Ellie, and then that same day Ellie’s cried after being alone with you.”

“I didn’t push her,” Dina says firmly. “I respect her space and I’ve been pretty open about that.”

“I was- I was trying to stay calm,” Abby shakes her head slightly, grimacing. “I got angry, I wanted answers and went about it in a stupid way. And that was wrong to you, and to Ellie, and I’m sorry-”

“Is Ellie making you apologise?” Dina asks appraisingly. 

“I haven’t spoken to Ellie since last night,” Abby admits regretfully. “I’ve got a patrol today, and she’s at the farm so she left early.”

“So why the change then?” 

“Cause I can’t stop thinking about it,” Abby says. “I’m going to speak to Ellie as soon as I’m back, she’s building a life here, she’s been excited about being here for so long, and I’m holding past grudges and standing in the way of her friendships.”

“Yeah, you are,” Dina sighs, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. 

“Yeah, I am,” Abby repeats sincerely. “I’m sorry for doing that to her, and for being rude and aggressive with you.”

“I accept your apology,” Dina adds after watching Abby for a moment. 

Abby nods, fidgeting with her hands awkwardly before stuffing them into her pockets. “Thank you,” she says awkwardly.

“We don’t need to be friends, you don’t need to ‘trust me’,” Dina says. “Just trust Ellie.”

Abby nods. “I, um, I do, but I’ll try to make that clearer,” Abby offers, scuffing her shoe on the ground again. 

Dina watches her with a small smile. _She really is bad with people,_ she thinks.

“I’ll speak to Ellie later,” Abby adds. “I- I hope you have a good day.”

“Okay, Abby,” Dina laughs. “I’ll see you later.”

Abby nods curtly again, before turning and striding away quickly. 

\--

The day passes slowly, only two people coming in with minor injuries, and Dina spends the day attempting and failing to read. She’s restless, watching the clock, and as soon as William arrives to relieve her she is out the door. 

She abruptly finds Ellie, physically running into her as she exits and almost knocking her over. Dina grabs at Ellie’s waist to stabilise her, Ellie gripping Dina’s arms and they laugh as they shakily manage to stay upright. 

“You in a rush to get somewhere?” Ellie asks cheekily.

“Oh yeah, got a really hot date,” Dina says quietly, squeezing Ellie’s hips as she lets go and looks around, taking a couple steps back. “I thought we were meeting at yours?” 

“I, um, I couldn’t sit still so I figured I’d walk you,” Ellie admits, her cheeks flushing slightly, but her bashful smile doesn’t waver. She’s freshly showered, her hair still damp and half tied back from her face. 

“Didn’t you finish work an hour ago?” Dina asks teasingly. 

“I couldn’t sit still so I figured I’d walk you,” Ellie repeats, her smile broadening. “How was your day?”

“Better now,” Dina smiles, her heart warm in her chest and fingers itching to take Ellie’s hand as they start walking over to Joel’s. “And the farm?” she asks, glancing over to Ellie and finding she’s watching her. 

Ellie looks away quickly, glancing around the street nonchalantly. “It was good, there’s a harvest coming up,” Ellie says. “They’re saying about four weeks away from now, there’s a lot of work in preparing for it, Lark can’t stop talking about it.”

“Oh god yeah,” Dina affirms. “It’s very manual to harvest everything, and sometimes things get moved up suddenly if it looks like it’ll rain.” Their hands brush as they walk, the touch almost nonexistent, but it gives Dina butterflies. “The prep is partially organising how it’ll all be done and the amount of hands needed, and partially about storage and preservation and what will go where.” 

“Are you going to help with it?” Ellie asks curiously.

“I doubt I’ll ever be able to get out of helping,” Dina laughs. “It’s like a whole-town thing, a week of hell. We usually strip and go to the lake and lie in the shallow water at the end of each day.” 

“Sounds like something to look forward to,” Ellie says brightly. 

“The gruelling manual labour?” Dina asks, raising an eyebrow. 

“You, half naked in a lake,” Ellie says, knocking her shoulder against Dina’s playfully as she opens the gate to Joel’s yard. 

“Still very confident, I see,” Dina teases, narrowing her eyes. 

“’S that a bad thing?” Ellie asks, grinning. 

“I’m into it,” Dina says quietly, staring at Ellie’s lips. 

“Good,” Ellie says as she holds the door open for Dina to enter first. 

Dina feels strangely nervous as she enters the room, unsure of what she should do, and she glances around looking for something to talk about. “Did you wanna show me some music?” Dina asks, looking from the boxes of records to Ellie. “You seem to have quite a collection.”

Dina turns to Ellie properly when she doesn’t get a response, the other girl standing at the door, leaning back on the wood and smiling, her hands tucked into her pockets. 

Dina raises an eyebrow. 

“Hi,” Ellie says sweetly, her smile so wide it makes Dina feel giddy. 

“Hi,” Dina replies, walking closer to Ellie. “What do you wanna do?”

“I want to kiss you,” Ellie says honestly, her eyes dropping to Dina’s lips and a light blush appearing on her cheeks. 

Dina moves closer, pressing herself to Ellie against the door and smirking as she feels Ellie’s breath sweetly trembling onto her own. “You gonna kiss me?” Dina asks teasingly. 

Ellie groans, lifting her hands to cup Dina’s cheeks and pull her into a heated, long kiss. Dina’s hands settle hesitantly on Ellie’s shoulders, gripping her shirt to hold her close. She hums as she feels Ellie’s tongue in the kiss, her mind going pleasantly blank. 

They’re both panting when the kiss ends, Dina’s nails digging slightly into Ellie’s shoulders, and she smiles apologetically. Ellie kisses her cheek, dropping her head to kiss Dina’s neck teasingly. Dina can feel Ellie’s smirk against her neck as she trembles, feeling heat pool in her stomach as her skin prickles where Ellie’s lips touch. 

Dina leans into the touch, tilting her head to offer Ellie more skin and cupping the back of her head to hold her there. 

“I’ve been thinking about this since yesterday,” Ellie murmurs against her neck. 

“’Bout kissing?” Dina asks weakly. 

Ellie presses a lingering open-mouthed kiss at the curve of Dina’s neck where it meets her shoulder before lifting her head to grin at her. “About making you feel how I felt,” Ellie says teasingly. She pecks Dina lips before brightening. “I’ll put some music on,” she says, pulling away from Dina to go through her records. 

Dina blinks, taking a few slow steadying breaths and trying to ignore the throbbing that she can feel. “How- how you felt?” she asks, stammering. 

“Last night,” Ellie clarifies as she sifts through one of the boxes of records. “Took me forever to fall asleep,” Ellie adds, eyes flicking up to meet Dina’s. 

“I can imagine,” Dina mutters, before flopping onto the couch and throwing an arm over her eyes. _She’s going to kill me._

She can hear Ellie move around, the soft noise of cardstock and plastic as she selects and takes out a record, and the whirring noise of a record player being wound up. 

“You pick something good?” Dina asks, opening one eye to look at Ellie. 

Ellie scoffs. “No, I picked something bad,” she says sarcastically as she walks closer. 

Dina grins. “You gonna sit down?” She asks, kicking off her shoes and looking up at Ellie standing awkwardly beside the couch. Dina is fully stretched out, laying on her back with her arms above her head. 

“There doesn’t appear to be room for me to sit down,” Ellie says jokingly.

“You’ll never get a seat with that attitude,” Dina teases, licking her lips. 

“And what attitude should I have?” 

“A confident one,” Dina says wiggling her eyebrows at Ellie suggestively. 

“Scoot then,” Ellie huffs, nudging Dina to move back on the couch and kneeling to unlace her Converses.

Dina grins, pleased with her success. and turns onto her side, one arm curled under her head. She shuffles back on the couch to make room for Ellie to join her. Dina watches with soft eyes, trying not to rush Ellie as she sits gingerly at the edge of the couch before twisting and lying down on her side in the narrow space beside Dina. 

“Happy now?” Ellie asks exasperatedly but her smile undermines the sentiment.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Dina asks as she throws an arm over Ellie’s waist, her hand resting lightly on the small of Ellie’s back. 

Ellie rolls her eyes affectionately, pressing slightly closer as she adjusts on the couch. “Hi,” she says as she does so, biting her lip as she meets Dina’s eyes. 

“Comfy?” Dina asks. 

“Definitely,” Ellie grins, caressing Dina’s cheek gently. 

It's only in the quiet moment afterwards that Dina registers the soft twang of guitar and the music filling the room. She smiles as she listens to it, content to lie quietly with Ellie after a long day of longing for something like this. 

\--

“I’ve been meaning to say but I like your bracelet,” Ellie says drowsily later, a while after the music has faded and then had traded sleepy kisses back and forth in the quiet of the room. Ellie’s fingers running up the length of Dina’s forearm and tracing the leather bands of the bracelet gently. “It suits you.”

“Thank you,” Dina replies, stilling her hand playing with Ellie’s hair. “My mother made it for me, it's for protection and good luck,” Dina says thoughtfully, watching as Ellie fidgets with her bracelet and spins it on her wrist. “It’s been through a lot, I’ve had to mend it a couple of times,” Dina adds. 

“I’m glad you were able to keep something from her,” Ellie says softly, her fingertips tracing the hamsa slowly. 

“We have very little from that time, anything we have is precious,” Dina murmurs slowly, contemplating if she can ask the same from Ellie. She knows she has little from Riley, but the time before is unknown. 

“I never knew my mother,” Ellie admits freely. “But when I was thirteen I met Marlene, a Firefly who knew her.”

“Yeah?” 

“She gave me my knife,” Ellie says, letting go of Dina’s bracelet to reach behind her and bring back a small switchblade knife from her back pocket. “It was my mother’s.” 

Dina silently examines the switchblade in the small space between them, rubbing a thumb over the ivory inlay in the wooden handle. 

“She gave me a letter as well,” Ellie says. “It’s too faded and old now to read, the paper was pretty thin and damaged when I got it, but it’s nice to still have.” 

“It is,” Dina says, her eyes flicking up to meet Ellie’s again as she offers the switchblade back.

Ellie twists to drop the closed switchblade on the floor behind them rather than in her back pocket. She settles on her back, folding her right arm under her head and stretching out her left arm next to Dina, who shuffles closer to rest her head on Ellie’s shoulder. Ellie’s arm curls around Dina’s back, her hand resting at the bottom of her shirt, fingertips tracing the skin peeking out from under the hem. 

Dina’s eyes trace the freckles on Ellie’s cheeks as she peers up as her, nuzzling closer and lifting her head briefly to press a soft kiss to Ellie’s shoulder. She reaches up to trace Ellie’s features, stroking the scar through Ellie’s eyebrow gently, cupping her jaw, brushing her thumb across Ellie’s cheek. 

Ellie watches her closely, eyes soft and a darker green in the dim light of the room, the sun not yet set but close to doing so judging from the light through the window. 

_She’s so beautiful_ , Dina thinks, stretching up to kiss Ellie’s lips softly, chastely, decadently. Dina hums as she pulls back, resting her head back on Ellie’s shoulder and watching her thumb closely with her eyes as it brushes the soft skin of Ellie’s cheek. 

“You know, I think you’ve given me more affection in the last couple of days than I’ve ever had,” Ellie whispers shyly, her eyes fluttering shut as she leans into Dina’s touch. 

“Is it okay?” Dina asks softly, her thumb stilling. 

“It’s kinda overwhelming that it feels so normal,” Ellie admits, smiling when Dina continues the soft touch on her cheek. “I like it.”

“I don’t think I could stop wanting to touch you,” Dina whispers. “You’re too beautiful.”

Ellie opens her eyes, looking at Dina with an intensity she doesn’t expect. “You’re one to talk,” Ellie murmurs.

“But tell me if I overstep,” Dina requests. “Please.”

Ellie turns to kiss the pad of Dina’s thumb, her smile serving as an answer. 

“Your skin is so soft,” Dina whispers without thinking, feeling a little embarrassed and shifting to trail her fingertips softly over Ellie’s cheek. “I love your freckles.”

“I love your freckles,” Ellie replies, lifting her head to free the arm it was resting on. She pokes the hollow of Dina’s neck gently, tracing a small circle there. “This one is my favourite.”

“Your favourite?” Dina asks, raising an eyebrow playfully. 

“Among others,” Ellie amends, resting her head back on her arm and grinning. 

_You’re my favourite,_ Dina thinks as she watches her. 

\--

It’s dark outside when they get interrupted. They had settled into a new position after Ellie had changed the music to another soft track filled with guitar and what sounded like a banjo. Dina was flat on her back and Ellie rested heavily on her; the girl was lighter than Dina let on, groaning loudly for show but relishing in the warm weight of Ellie laying on top of her, her chest on Dina’s chest and her hands twisted into Dina’s shirt.

“Ellie?” Joel’s voice calls, accompanied by a soft knock on the door. 

Dina freezes in the moment, her breath shaky and her heart tight in her chest at the thought of him walking in on them. 

“Yeah?” Ellie calls back, dropping a quick kiss on Dina’s cheek as she props herself up and lifts her body off of Dina. 

“We still on for movie night tonight, kiddo?” Joel asks. 

Ellie frowns as she looks down at Dina, swearing softly under her breath. “Yeah, give me a couple minutes and I’ll join you,” she yells back, dropping onto Dina heavily and nuzzling into her neck. 

“Ooof,” Dina grunts as Ellie drops onto her. “You’re heavy.”

Ellie kisses her neck, scraping her teeth there lightly and making Dina’s toes tingle at the sensation. “You always know the right thing to say,” Ellie murmurs, kissing there again more chastely before settling on top of her again. 

Dina doesn’t hear him walk away but relaxes at the sound of the back door closing as he heads inside. “How were you not worried about him walking in?”

“Please,” Ellie replies. “This is _my_ shed. Joel and Abby respect that, if they want me they come and knock, but otherwise it's just my space to be alone. That’s why it’s perfect.”

Dina furrows her brow. “Okay, I can see Joel being that respectful, but Abby?”

“It was Abby’s idea, actually. This was always meant to be where I lived,” Ellie says, the words muffled slightly by Dina’s shirt as Ellie talks into her shoulder. “Joel has been fixing it up for ages, and when I convinced her to come to Jackson she said I should still live here and she’ll find her own place.”

“But you didn’t want to?” Dina asks.

“I didn’t want her to be alone,” Ellie says softly. “She’s kinda horrible with people.”

“Uh, you said like three words to me when I met you,” Dina laughs. “You can’t talk.” 

“Neither can she,” Ellie laughs. “We’re both perfectly antisocial together.” 

“But she doesn’t bother you here?” Dina asks. 

“If we have plans or they need me for something then they’ll knock, but otherwise it’s just for me to chill out and have a smoke and draw or whatever,” Ellie sighs, rubbing her cheek against Dina’s shoulder before groaning dramatically. 

“Sensitive subject?” Dina asks jokingly. 

“I wanna hang out with Joel, but I don’t want you to leave,” Ellie says, lifting her head and rolling her eyes, presumably at herself. 

“I’ve got a watch shift tomorrow, we can catch up afterwards maybe?” Dina asks. “We don’t have to hang out tomorrow though, like if you want some down time to yourself.”

“No, I just want more down time with you,” Ellie laughs. “I like spending time with you.”

“I like spending time with you as well.”

“Did you-” Ellie hesitates. “Did you want to join us for the movie?”

“Sure,” Dina blurts out without thinking, too hung up on the warmth between them that it's only after she speaks she remembers how awkward and small she had felt around Joel the last time she saw him. “I mean… I don’t want to intrude.”

“You’re good, Joel likes you,” Ellie grins, pressing a quick kiss to Dina’s cheek as she gets up. “We should probably go in, I said a couple of minutes and it may have been longer than that,” she adds bashfully, stretching her back with her arms up. 

Ellie’s shirt rides up a little and Dina can see the pale skin of her stomach for a moment before Ellie stops. Dina’s left feeling a little dazed and doesn’t register Ellie waiting for her for a beat too long. 

“You good?” Ellie laughs, pulling on her Converses and lacing them sloppily. 

“You’re very distracting,” Dina says jokingly with narrowed eyes. 

“Me?” Ellie scoffs. “Okay,” she quirks her lips as she nods to herself. “Sure.” 

“You got something to say?” Dina asks, sitting up on the couch and watching Ellie closely. 

“Nothing at all,” Ellie smiles, kicking Dina’s shoes over to her. “You’re, uh, you’re definitely the distracting one, though.” 

“I’ll have you know I’ve wasted a lot of time thinking about you,” Dina says as she pulls on her shoes. 

Ellie lingers at the door waiting for her. “I would say the same but I- I wouldn’t say it was a waste of time,” Ellie says softly as Dina joins her. 

“Can I kiss you?” Dina murmurs as she walks closer. 

“Do you have to ask-” 

Dina crowds her against the wall and pulls her into a kiss. There’s only a second of frozen surprise before Ellie softens against her, wrapping her hands around Dina’s waist and holding her tightly. Dina intended it to be a short kiss but it gets heated with the feel of Ellie’s tongue sliding across her bottom lip. They break apart only when Dina’s lungs burn too much for the kiss to be continued. 

“Very distracting,” Dina pants into Ellie’s neck. 

“You’re one to- to talk,” Ellie says breathlessly back to her. 

\--

Joel only seems slightly surprised by her presence when they head inside, but Dina attributes that to how unfazed and solemn he tends to look in general. He’s cooking something on the stove, stirring occasionally as he looks over to them. “The more the merrier,” he shrugs. “How are you, Dina?”

“Doing alright,” Dina says stiffly, offering Ellie an awkward smile when Ellie looks back at her. 

“She’s good,” Ellie chirps, taking out of a spoon from the top drawer at the bench and tapping Joel’s shoulder so he turns back to look at Dina as Ellie steals some food from the pot. 

“You little shit,” Joel huffs, picking up a tea towel from the kitchen island and whipping it lightly at Ellie as she scampers back, grinning with a spoon in her mouth. “No stealing dinner.”

“But it’s your _chilli_ ,” Ellie whines. 

“No stealing dinner,” Joel repeats gruffly, stirring the chilli again slowly in the pot. 

“He takes his chilli very seriously,” Ellie says to Dina, huffing and dropping the spoon on the island bench. “It’s the only good thing he can cook,” she whispers loudly, looking over to Joel in anticipation of his response. 

“Get out,” Joel jokes. “Go on, go set the table or something.” He turns back to her unimpressed and she raises an eyebrow in challenge. “Get,” he says flatly. 

Ellie grins toothily at him before leaving, presumably to set the table. 

Joel sighs as he watches her, putting the kettle on and muttering to himself. “Such an animal, that kid,” he offers to Dina who’s hovering awkwardly at the bench, unsure whether to follow Ellie or not. 

Dina nods mutely, offering a weak smile and willing herself to stop being so awkward around Joel. _You were fine around him a month ago,_ Dina tells herself, _grow up._

“She’s making me go grey,” he says, running a hand messily through his hair in a way that reminds Dina of Ellie. 

“It suits you,” Dina adds without thinking. 

Joel looks at her for a moment. “You know,” he says, pursing his lips. “I knew I liked you.” He smiles, and Dina feels triumphant, like she’s managed to win him over, but she knows he’s in the dark about her and Ellie’s new-found relationship. “You want a coffee?” Joel asks kindly as he pulls out a mug. 

“Uh, sure,” Dina agrees, not wanting to be impolite. 

Joel takes out a second mug from the cabinet and what appears to be an oversized spice grinder and a small tin of beans that he handles carefully. He grinds two scoops of the beans before adding them to a French press on the counter and pouring the hot water now squealing on the stove over it. He leaves it to steep as he stirs the chilli once again, testing a small spoonful before adding an extra crack of salt and pepper. 

Dina watches silently, sitting down at one of the stools at the bench and looking suspiciously toward the dark water of the coffee. _Kinda looks gross,_ Dina thinks, entirely unfamiliar with coffee but knowing her mother used to enjoy it before the outbreak. 

Ellie returns as he’s pushing down the plunger, smiling to himself. “You’re so weird with your coffee,” Ellie rolls her eyes, getting three bowls out for them before placing one back to get a larger bowl that she holds out. “Can I eat now?” 

“You really need a bowl that big,” Joel sighs, looking at her. 

“Uh, yes.”

“Ellie, that is a mixing bowl,” Joel says flatly, pouring the coffee into two mugs. “You do not need a mixing bowl.”

“How do you know that?” Ellie scoffs, but dutifully swaps the bowl back for a normal one. 

Dina tries to hide her smile.

“You got cornbread too?” Ellie asks as she begins spooning chilli into her bowl. 

Joel sighs. “Ellie, we have a guest, can you serve her food first?” He places one of the mugs in front of Dina and smiles at her apologetically. “Like I said, she’s an animal.”

Dina grins, cupping the mug with both hands and bringing it closer to herself. “Truly,” she agrees, smiling at Ellie wryly. 

“No bullying,” Ellie says childishly. “Now, more importantly, cornbread?”

“In the tin,” Joel says, nodding to a large flat tin beside the fridge. Ellie whoops and Dina laughs as she watches her gleefully open the tin. “Now, Dina, it’s a vegetarian chilli, mostly beans, you can eat that right?” 

“Definitely,” Dina nods eagerly. She blows on her drink and takes a cautious sip when Joel turns his back, her face souring and her nose wrinkling. _That’s so fucking disgusting._ When she looks back up Ellie is smiling at her in amusement. 

“Did you give Dina coffee?” Ellie asks, clearly knowing the answer. “She’s my friend, why are you being so fucking mean?”

“I’m being nice, Ellie,” Joel huffs. “Coffee is very hard to get, I’m being hospitable.”

“By making Dina suffer?” Ellie laughs. “It tastes like ass.”

Joel turns the heat off on the stove after he finishes filling two bowls, moving the pot to a different burner and turning back to face Dina. “Do you like it, Dina?”

“Yes,” Dina lies without hesitation, forcing herself to take another sip and smiling back at him. “Mmmm.” 

Ellie scoffs but Joel smiles proudly and slides one of the bowls of chilli across to her. “Goes well with the chilli as well,” he adds, Ellie shaking her head emphatically beside him. “Come on, let’s eat so we can start the movie,” he says moving into the other room with his mug and bowl. “Ellie, grab the cornbread,” he yells back over his shoulder.

“It’s disgusting, isn’t it?” Ellie asks after he leaves. 

“It’s so fucking bad,” Dina groans. 

“And to think… he normally refuses to share,” Ellie smirks. “Told you he was fond of you.”

“He said as much,” Dina says thoughtfully, looking at the murky depths of her mug. “At what cost, though?” 

“I got you,” Ellie says cheerfully, taking a container of sugar out of the cupboard and pouring a sizable amount in her coffee. “You can always just not drink it.” 

“I will do my best,” Dina grimaces, standing and making her way into the other room. 

\--

They settle in to watch some movie about dinosaurs after dinner, which Ellie and Joel seem quite enthused about. Joel has his own armchair, a recliner, pointed directly at a tv, and a set of pillows are propped up at the end of the couch beside it that Ellie flops onto. They look like a perfect domestic picture and Dina hesitates in the hallway about joining them. 

“Come on, Dina,” Ellie says when she doesn’t join them. “Dinosaurs are cool, we’ve been meaning to watch it for ages. It’s about some park, I don’t know.” 

“It’s about people bringing dinosaurs back to life to open an amusement park,” Joel clarifies, switching on the tv. “It’s a classic.”

Ellie wrinkles her nose. “Sometimes that means it's bad,” she says over her shoulder to Dina, wigging to sit up against the pillows and make more room at the end of the couch. “Hopefully not with this one, anyway, come sit with me.”

“Sure,” Dina grins, still holding onto her now lukewarm half-empty cup of coffee which she places on the coffee table as she sits down. Ellie drapes her legs over Dina’s lap amongst immediately, which Joel looks at her warningly for but he doesn’t press when Dina seems unfazed by it. 

Dina waits until his eyes are back on the tv, the room now illuminated by the light for her to rest her hands over Ellie’s ankles, a thumb brushing the skin there gently. 

Dina glances up to Ellie and finds her watching with soft eyes. _So fucking beautiful,_ Dina thinks.

“How’d you like your coffee?” Joel asks as he flicks through the menu to start the movie. 

“It’s good, thank you,” Dina lies again, picking the mug up stiffly and trying to force herself to swallow it quickly. It almost repeats on her but she manages to get it down, the last mouthful mostly sugar sludge unmixed with the final dredges of coffee that is somehow still bitter. _Probably should have mixed it with a spoon,_ Dina thinks.

“I don’t understand your deal with coffee,” Ellie says, looking over to Joel, who was sipping from a newly replenished mug. 

“Let me know if you want another,” Joel says kindly. “And Ellie, I’d rather you didn’t get it,” he adds with a crooked grin. “Or you’d probably steal it from me like Abby tries to.”

“Abby likes this?” Dina asks in shock quietly, jostling Ellie when she cackles loudly. 

“Anyway, I thought you were meant to drink coffee for the caffeine, so drinking it at night seems super weird,” Ellie scoffs. “Like wouldn’t it just mess with your sleep?”

 _What?_ Dina thinks, looking at Ellie in alarm. 

“The movie is starting,” Joel shushes Ellie. 

“What?” Dina hisses quietly at Ellie. 

“Did he not tell-”

“Movie is starting,” Joel repeats again. 

“Dude, you’re fucked,” Ellie laughs, only getting louder when Dina pinches her ankle. 

\--

Dina does not enjoy the movie. There’s a decent suspension of disbelief, and definitely enough to look at, but she can’t get over how oversized the raptors are compared to the books she’d read about them. They seem to be Joel’s favourite part of the movie though, and judging by Ellie’s swearing she’s deeply enraptured by the movie. 

Dina’s also partially certain that the tyrannosaurus wasn’t alive during the Jurassic period in particular, but she’d have to recheck the book from the library. Ellie laughs every time that Dina jumps, and Dina could swear she isn’t actually scared - more she feels an odd rush of energy and feels a bit nervy or restless in her skin. _Is this the fucking coffee?_

“Did you like it? Not too scary?” Ellie asks when the credits roll across the screen. 

“I wasn’t scared,” Dina says defensively. 

Ellie raises an eyebrow and smirks, wiggling her feet in Dina’s lap. “Suuuure,” she says, and Dina rolls her eyes. 

Joel steps out to get something, perhaps another movie or some food. She’s too caught on the glint in Ellie’s eyes to register his words. 

“You’re an asshole,” Dina tells her, running a hand teasingly up Ellie’s leg, dipping to trail her fingertips on the inside of Ellie’s thigh, only about halfway up before running back down again. 

Ellie gulps almost nervously, her eyes turning a little darker. “You’re killing me,” she whispers softly. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Dina smirks. 

“Okay, so I’m thinking _Lost in Space_ for the next one,” Joel says as he returns with another bowl of chilli. 

“Fuck yes,” Ellie says loudly. “Have you seen it, Dina? _That’s_ a classic.”

“Ellie has a thing for space,” Joel says with a small grin, he looks pleased at himself as he puts in the DVD, groaning softly as his knees crack when he bends.

 _That explains the comics and the posters in her shed,_ Dina thinks, looking at Ellie appraisingly. _What a nerd._

“You’re getting old, old man,” Ellie says cheekily. 

“Hush or I won’t take you on our trip,” Joel says back. 

Ellie quiets for a moment before grinning wider. “There’s no way you’d cancel that, you’re more excited than I am.”

“Your trip?” Dina asks confusedly. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Yeah, Joel,” Ellie says excitedly. “Where are we going again?”

“It’s a surprise, stop trying to get me to crack,” he says gruffly to Ellie, sitting back in his armchair and beginning to eat his chilli. “It’s Ellie’s birthday in about two weeks, and we’re going on a camping trip for a week.” 

“Joel’s been planning it for years,” Ellie says. “Says he has a surprise for me, but the Fireflies never let me do shit.”

“When do you leave?” Dina asks, happy to hear Ellie’s excitement but disappointed to hear she’s leaving for so long. 

“Two weeks from tomorrow,” Ellie says, and Dina can hear her back crack as she stretches in place. “It’s gonna be great,” she says, waiting for Joel to be focused on the tv before taking Dina’s hand and squeezing it once gently. ‘Sorry,’ she mouths, clearly noticing Dina’s disappointment. 

Dina forces a smile that doesn’t take much effort. “That’s really good, I’m glad you’re going,” she says diplomatically. “Abby going to?”

“Nah,” Ellie says. “Just me and Joel.”

“As it should be,” Joel jokes. 

“You love Abby and you know it,” Ellie says emphatically. 

“I tolerate Abby and we both know it,” Joel repeats incorrectly. 

Ellie huffs and shushes him when he begins to talk again. “You are not interrupting this movie, shush,” Ellie tells him. 

Dina watches in amusement, squeezing Ellie’s ankle and smiling at her softly. Ellie looks at her questioningly but Dina just smiles wider, looking down shyly. 

Ellie jerks her foot in her lap, making Dina look back up. ‘I like you’, Ellie mouths. 

‘I like you too’, Dina mouths back silently. 

They share a secret smile together before focusing back on the movie. 

\--

Ellie hugs Joel tightly as they leave, Dina waving to him awkwardly and he nods in response. She takes it as a good sign. 

“So, what were your thoughts on the movie?” Ellie asks tiredly, yawning as they walk out to the street. 

“Which one?”

“The only important one,” Ellie scoffs. 

“I liked the dinosaurs,” Dina says cheekily. 

“Excuse me, I’m clearly talking about the second movie,” Ellie says, slapping Dina’s shoulder lightly. “Asshole.”

“How did their future selves get to the future if they were stuck in hyperspace?” Dina asks. 

“You know what,” Ellie says, stopping to look back at Dina. “I don’t like you anymore.”

“I take it back,” Dina says quickly, grabbing at Ellie’s hands and laughing. “I thought it was comedic genius, a true masterpiece of 90’s cinema, a staple of the sci-fi genre, and honestly… the mum was hot.” 

Ellie rolls her eyes. 

“You’re a huge sci-fi dork though, I hadn’t realised,” Dina continues. 

“Really?” Ellie asks curiously. 

“Nah, there were clear signs,” Dina grins. “You were very enthused about those comics.”

“My comics are excellent, fuck you,” Ellie says with a laugh. 

“I’m sure they are, I wanna read them some time,” Dina says. 

“Didn’t think you were a fan of sci-fi?”

“I could be,” Dina grins. _For you,_ she thinks. 

“Can I walk you home?” Ellie asks, both of them lingering in the middle of the street. 

“I’m afraid I’ve already walked you home,” Dina says, nodding to Ellie’s house in front of them. 

“This isn’t going to be a thing, is it?” Ellie laughs. 

“Good night, Ell,” Dina says sweetly, pulling Ellie into a tight hug and pressing a quick kiss to her lips on the empty street. 

“Good night,” Ellie says dreamily. “Sleep well,” she adds, calling out to Dina. 

\--

Dina doesn’t sleep well. Her heart races and she feels more wired than she does after a near miss on patrol. She attributes it to the coffee, and the inability to fall asleep until the early hours of the morning as well as the memory of the bitter taste make her swear bitterly to avoid coffee in the future. 

She lingers in the shower the next morning, splashing her face with cold water in the sink to wake herself up properly, and reassures herself that at least she isn’t hungover as well. 

_I’m never drinking coffee again,_ Dina thinks as she trudges with her head low to her watch shift. She realises about halfway there that she’ll be able to see Ellie on the farm from the west watch tower. _At least they’ll be something to look at_ , she thinks to herself wryly. 

She runs into Jesse about halfway to the tower, assessing him from a distance. Sturdy riding boots, a day pack on his back, a long gun holster slung over his shoulder, his pistol holstered at his waist, and an apologetic smile on his lips when he meets Dina’s eyes. 

“You’re dressed funny for a watch shift,” Dina says, glaring at him. 

“That is because I am not doing a watch shift,” he says guiltily. 

“You’re going on patrol, aren’t you?” Dina asks. 

“Tommy and William ran into a bit of trouble on the Hoback Pass,” Jesse shrugs. “Maria wants three people on the shift for the next week as an extra safety measure.”

“That’s fair,” Dina pauses. “Normal even… why do you look so guilty?”

“So before I say, I’ve organised for your patrol shift tomorrow to be with Ellie,” Jesse says, forcing a bright smile. “So that’s a good thing, right?”

“Why do you look so guilty?” Dina repeats flatly. 

“The only person who was willing to take my two watch shifts this week…” He pauses, trailing off and by all means making Dina feel worse. “Was Cat.”

“Cat?” Dina whines. “Ugh.”

“I’m sure it won’t be that bad?” Jesse suggests. 

“It’s going to be fucking exhausting,” Dina sighs. “Just- ugh.” 

“I’m sorry,” Jesse winces. “I tried to see if Ellie could but she’s at the farm today and then on patrol for the next couple of days, she and Abby are trying to get into next week’s scouting patrol so Maria is insisting they get more experience.”

“It doesn’t need to be Ellie, just anyone but Cat,” Dina huffs. 

“I mean… at least she isn’t Tony, hey?” Jesse jokes. 

“I- okay, yeah, he would be worse,” Dina agrees. “Cat’s just been- been frustrating lately.” 

“You got nothing to worry about,” Jesse says, putting a comforting hand on Dina’s shoulder. “I’ve seen how Ellie looks at you, she clearly likes you. I’m sure something will happen soon.”

Dina nods, gritting her teeth and willing herself to appear neutral. “Hopefully,” she offers before saying goodbye and splitting off from him to continue toward the west watchtower. 

_Today is gonna suck_ , she thinks as she climbs the ladder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, my fun fic is fun (awkward kitchen convos with gf's dad blatantly plagiarised from my own life).  
> If you have the time, let me know what you think :)
> 
> If you wanna yell at me, my tumblr user: @respectablesentiment  
> If you wanna yell with me, my twitch: @grumblebum1


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gracefully beta'd once again by my gf.

“Hey, babe,” Cat says to Dina, as Dina climbs up and pops her head through the hatch and into the tower. 

Laura, another regular to watch shifts, tips her head at Cat and bids Dina a tired good morning before disappearing. Dina takes the seat toward the front, Cat having already settled into the back seat with her head buried in a book. 

“How’s it going, Cat?” Dina asks tiredly as she pulls out a book for herself. 

“Too early,” Cat grumbles. 

They leave it at that. _Not that bad,_ Dina thinks. 

\--

“Ugh,” Cat groans after at least an hour of silent reading, stretching back in her seat and propping her legs up on the rail of the watchtower. “I just wanna lick her freckles.”

Dina makes a noise of disgust, looking up from the pages of her book to look back at Cat harshly. “That’s disgusting, you’d just lick her face?” she asks with her nose wrinkled, stretching slightly to try to peer over Cat’s shoulder. 

“Who said anything about her face?” Cat grins wickedly, keeping her eyes firmly focused at the farm paddocks in the distance.

Dina frowns, thinking of the freckles scattered across Ellie’s cheeks, the ones she’d seen on her forearms and on the few on her knees; she wonders briefly if she has more freckles elsewhere, hidden under her clothes. “Wait,” she says abruptly. “Who are you talking about?” _She hasn’t seen more of her than I have,_ she thinks to herself. 

“That hunk of beef, ugh,” Cat makes grabby motions with her hands in the air. “Ugh, I bet she could choke me out with her thighs.”

Dina shakes her head, looking at Cat with disgust. “I mean, yeah, I guess, she’s wiry but she’s clearly strong.”

“Wiry?” Cat scoffs. “She is _thick_ , and _beefy,_ and I just wanna touch her muscles.”

Dina blinks. “I get that Ellie is attractive, we both agree there, but this is crass and gross. And come on, you can’t really describe her as beefy-”

“Ellie?” Cat snorts. “I mean, I’d go there, but I’m talking about _Abby.”_ She says her name dreamily, sighing and looking back out to the tree line. 

The anger in Dina’s gut is extinguished immediately. _Oh._

“I bet Abby could handle me,” Cat sighs. “I bet she’d handle me really well.”

Dina grins, deflating in relief. “You’re certainly a handful,” she mutters. 

“And Abby has _big_ hands,” Cat replies. 

Dina lets the silence sit between them. _She was talking about Abby,_ she thinks _, how long has she been talking about Abby?_

_Wait._

_How the fuck was that not clear? Why has Cat been flirting with Ellie?_

“Cat,” Dina says dangerously. “Did you-”

“Was I purposefully vague to get under your skin?” Cat laughs airily, biting her lip when Dina glares at her. “Babe, I never said I liked Ellie, that’s on you.”

“But I heard you talking to Brodie about wanting to mount her when you gave her a tattoo,” Dina huffs. “And you’ve been flirting with her for ages?”

Cat frowns, trying to think about what conversation Dina was referring to. She shrugs. “Brodie and I have been bickering about Abby for a bit, you must have heard wrong,” she says dismissively. “I redo Abby’s undercut all the time, so I was probably talking about her.” 

“Huh,” Dina says quietly, before scowling and kicking at Cat’s chair. “You’re such a fucking asshole, what was all the shit with Ellie?”

Cat shrugs. “Ellie and I are buds, I was trying to help you along,” Cat grins.

“By deliberately getting in the way?” Dina asks. 

“I wasn’t getting in the way, I was _encouraging_ you. I was being flirty like I am with everyone,” Cat huffs. “You’re the one taking fucking ages to make a move.”

“It’s not a fucking race,” Dina replies sharply. “I care about her, I’m not in a rush to do anything…” Dina takes a deep breath trying to calm herself. “You could have fucked things up for us, you could have made her uncomfortable.”

“Ellie was well aware of my intentions,” Cat says sympathetically. “I was messing with you, but I love you and wouldn’t have risked anything between you two. I can see that you like her.”

“What do you mean Ellie was well aware of your intentions?” Dina asks critically. 

“I told her at the party that you clearly liked her,” Cat shrugs. “And that you were a wonderful person and she’d be lucky to be with you.”

“Oh,” Dina says quietly, before looking at Cat appraisingly. “Is that actually how you said it?”

“I _may_ have called you a pussy,” Cat admits. “And told her you might take a bit to make a move, but I was trying to reassure her.”

“You’re the bane of my existence,” Dina says flatly.

“You love me!” Cat insists. 

“Do I?”

“Yes, you do,” Cat smirks. “I’m hot, I’m funny, and I’m _really_ good with my mouth. What’s not to love?” 

“It’s nice that you think you’re funny,” Dina mutters under her breath. 

“And it’s funny that that’s the thing you choose to comment on,” Cat laughs. 

Dina huffs, rolling her eyes. She leans back in her seat, propping her legs up on the edge of the watchtower. “Eh, Abby would be lucky,” she offers in reply. 

“I know,” Cat grins. “I’m fucking great.”

“You’re an annoying asshole,” Dina snipes. “You two would get along fucking perfectly.” 

“I think so too,” Cat says softly, looking back at the field. 

Dina soaks in her relief, the pit in her stomach for the day ahead of her dissipating. She frowns as she looks at Cat, still annoyed at her actions, and spends the rest of the morning replaying events in her mind: Ellie’s dismissal of Cat’s actions, the way Cat was always seeking eye contact with her when she said something to Ellie. 

_Huh,_ she thinks.

\--

“Why tell me now?” Dina asks her, later in the afternoon after she had finished her book and spent a bit of time silently lamenting not bringing another. 

“Huh?” Cat asks, blinking at her blankly. 

“Why tell me now that you like Abby and not Ellie?” Dina asks. “And why waste your time messing with me, and not just sleeping with Abby?”

“I’m in no rush,” Cat says cryptically with a shrug. 

“But you were content to rush me along?” Dina challenges. 

Cat looks at her for a long moment. “I know you,” she says flatly. “You would rather spend your time hinting at something than just outright saying it, even if you’re getting in your own way.”

“That’s not true-”

“Ellie kissed you first, didn’t she?” Cat interrupts. “Didn’t she?”

“That’s beside the point,” Dina huffs. “And how did you know we-”

“I could tell,” Cat dismissively, returning to her book and absently turning the page. Dina can’t see the cover but she can tell from the print on the page that she’s reading poetry. 

“What do you mean you could tell?”

“You two kissed on Sunday afternoon, right?” Cat smirks, tracing a finger idly on the page. 

“Yeah, like right-”

“Right before you came to the diner,” Cat finishes. 

“You know what I really hate about you?”

Cat lifts her head up, raising an eyebrow questioning. 

“You never let me finish my sentences,” Dina tells her. 

Cat smirks, rubbing at her wrist idly and turning back to her book. 

“How could you tell?” Dina asks her after a long moment. 

“Your smile changed,” Cat murmurs, flipping the page in her book. “It was obvious,” she adds. 

“Do you think anyone else could tell?” Dina asks concernedly. 

“No, I don’t think they did,” Cat says firmly, placing a bookmark in her book and snapping it shut. “Do I need to give you a book so you leave me alone again?”

“Yes please,” Dina says eagerly. 

Cat pulls another book and hands it to her. Dina runs her fingers absently over the well-worn spine, assessing the cover for a moment and tracing the title - _The Price of Salt._ Cat waits until Dina opens it to read before speaking again. “I’ll make sure no one notices,” Cat says sincerely. “If you want to keep things quiet for a bit, then I’ll just keep being me and it’ll detract from how gay you two keep being.” 

“We don’t-”

“You’re very affectionate, Dina,” Cat says, shutting her defense down quickly. “Best just run with you two being too hopeless to put things together and talk, because you definitely couldn’t hide your massive fucking crushes.”

Dina sighs. “Thank you,” Dina says after a moment to think it through. “Ellie just- yeah, thank you.”

“Chill, Dina,” Cat says dismissively. “Your flirting is a bit much, don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“I still hate you,” Dina says, turning to focus on the book. _Not as much as I thought though,_ she adds to herself. 

\--

Dina takes a shower when she gets home, trying to watch away the heat of the day with her mind still lingering on her conversations with Cat. 

“You good?” Talia asks Dina when she comes downstairs and flops on the couch beside her. 

Dina hums. “Surprisingly yes, just tired.”

“You were out late last night,” Talia says, continuing when Dina raises her eyebrow. “Not that late, but you had watch early.”

“Mmm, had a movie night with Ellie,” Dina explains, shoving Talia playfully when Talia elbows her. “And Joel,” she adds. 

“Wow, meeting the dad and everything,” Talia says playfully. 

“I knew Joel before I knew Ellie,” Dina points out. 

Talia wraps an arm around Dina’s shoulders, hugging her against her. “And yet, it’s not the same when you like someone.”

“Shut up,” Dina huffs. 

“So do I get to have dinner with you tonight or are you out sneaking around with Ellie again?” 

Dina bites her lip. “You’ll have me around for dinner but I’m gonna go to Ellie’s for a bit.”

“Can’t stay away?” Talia asks cheekily. 

Dina rolls her eyes, twisting in her seat to hug Talia anyway. “Not really, no,” Dina admits quietly. 

Talia laughs in reply. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Dina waves her off as she stands. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

\--

“Hi,” Dina says with a grin when Ellie answers her door. “We didn’t really make solid plans but I figured I’d come find you.”

“I’m just, uh, practicing for tomorrow,” Ellie says, holding up the controller with a bashful grin. 

Dina looks over her shoulder to find a combat game she isn’t familiar with playing on the TV. “For patrol?” she asks, as Ellie turns and heads inside without hugging her. 

“Oh yeah, gotta keep this reflexes sharp,” Ellie says cheekily, sitting on the couch and gesturing for Dina to join her. 

“You doing okay-” Dina begins to ask. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to just come now?” Abby’s voice calls out from up the stairs, her heavy footfalls following her question as she emerges.

Dina and Abby stare at each other for a brief moment before Dina sits and Abby offers a tight-lipped smile. 

“Dina, how are you?” Abby asks politely. 

“Doing good, spent the day with Cat on watch which could have definitely been better,” Dina replies. 

Ellie half-watches them in amusement, pretending to be more focused on her game than she is.

“She’s a character,” Abby offers awkwardly. 

“How are you?” Dina asks. 

“Good, headed over to Maria and Tommy’s for dinner. Ellie is meant to be joining me but wanted to come over a bit later,” Abby says, looking over to Ellie. “Said she wasn’t feeling well.”

“Is that so?” Dina says, raising an eyebrow at Ellie, who ignores her. 

Ellie’s cheeks turn pink and Dina feels a little trapped with Ellie being so unhelpful.

“I’ll see you there, Ell,” Abby says. “When you’re feeling better,” she smirks, pulling on her shoes near the door and nodding to Dina. 

Ellie remains frozen in place as she listens to Abby’s heavy steps walking away, her hands completely still, and Dina can see her character being poorly beaten on the screen. 

“You good, Freckles?” Dina teases.

At the sound of the gate thunking shut after Abby, Ellie jumps up and pulls Dina into a tight hug, swaying them from side to side somewhat clumsily, and Dina almost trips over her feet. 

“You’re such a goof,” Dina laughs. 

“Am not,” Ellie says, rubbing her nose softly against Dina’s neck. 

“You know, if you had a family dinner tonight, you could have just told me?” Dina grins, running a hand down Ellie’s back. “We don’t have to see each other every day.”

“But I like seeing you,” Ellie says petulantly.

“You’ll be seeing a lot of me tomorrow,” Dina laughs, pulling back from Ellie to look at her properly. 

Ellie fakes a shocked expression. “Oh really?” she asks teasingly, wiggling her eyebrows and pinching Dina’s side.

“I meant Jesse paired us for patrol, you perv,” Dina scoffs. 

“No comment,” Ellie grins. “And that’s great, I’ve got three patrols in a row this week and I was hoping I’d be with you on one.”

“How have you got that many patrols in a row?” Dina asks. “Normally Maria wouldn’t go for it when you’re so new.” 

“She says she’s considering letting us on the northern scouting patrol next week, depending on how we do go this week,” Ellie explains, rubbing the sides of Dina’s arms before sliding her hands down to capture Dina’s in hers. “So we’re both doing three patrols this week, and a training thing on Sunday.”

Dina laughs. “With the kids?”

“It’s like a training refresher or something?” Ellie says, pulling Dina’s hands in hers to lead Dina to the couch. 

“It’s gonna be a bunch of teenagers, Mateo’s friends trying to get on patrol,” Dina grins, sitting close beside Ellie. “I’m sure Abby will be delighted.”

“Tommy’s running it so it shouldn’t be _that_ bad,” Ellie shrugs. “Anyway, as long as we don’t have issues we can join the scouting patrol!” she adds excitedly before pausing. “You’re on that one, right?”

“I am on that patrol, yes,” Dina smiles, pressing a kiss to Ellie’s cheek. 

“Can we share your sleeping bag?” Ellie flirts. 

“I’m not sure what Abby will think of that,” Dina says, tucking Ellie’s hair behind her ear and settling back on the couch. “I’m almost certain she saw right through you before.”

“I’m-” Ellie hesitates. “I’m not the best at lying to her.”

Dina rolls her eyes. “You can just not keep her in the loop, and still acknowledge that we’re friends who know each other,” Dina says teasingly. “Rather than trying to hide us hanging out completely.”

“Very true,” Ellie agrees. “Want me to show you my game?”

“Definitely,” Dina says, rubbing a hand over Ellie’s back lightly as Ellie grabs her controller and resumes the match. 

Ellie groans as her character’s death splashes up on the screen before restarting the match. The game seems unfamiliar to Dina, having a relatively more advanced weapon mechanic than the auto-aim in Jak X, but Ellie seems excited to talk her through it. 

“I think I’ll pass,” Dina tells her after Ellie offers to let Dina try it. “Although I want to try your dragon game sometime,” she adds, nodding toward a case she can see sitting on the coffee table.

“Do you want me to put it on now?” Ellie asks eagerly, already beginning to exit her game, but Dina waves her off. “You okay? Tired?” Ellie asks in concern, turning off her game regardless to turn and focus on Dina fully. 

“Definitely, gonna have a quiet night in with Talia tonight,” Dina says. “Need to recover from a day with Cat.”

“Oh come on, Cat is great,” Ellie laughs. “Did she try to hassle you?”

“Well, she knows we kissed,” Dina says pointedly. 

Ellie’s jaw drops a little in shock. “How did she-”

“She said she could just tell on Sunday,” Dina huffs. “But she says no one else would have caught it. And you know what else she told me?”

“What?”

“She said she was messing with me and that you were in on it,” Dina replies.

“I mean… I wouldn’t say I was _in_ on it,” Ellie says sheepishly. “I thought that was just how she talked to people, and then she spent a bunch of time talking you up at the party, and then when we did the tattoo and-”

“Oh god, I’m not sure I want to hear it,” Dina groans, rubbing her eyes. “She’s such a fucking shit.”

“I don’t know,” Ellie says more seriously now. “It kinda helped me feel more confident.”

“About me?” 

“About myself?” Ellie says tentatively. “Like I was talking to her at the party about getting a tattoo and she didn’t ask me a single question about my scar, just looked at the burnt skin and started talking designs, and said you thought tattoos were sexy.”

“Yeah, that sounds like something she’d say,” Dina scoffs.

“I mean,” Ellie grins, taking off the flannel over her t-shirt to pointedly flex her right arm unnecessarily at Dina, the tattoo on her forearm still fresh and healing. “Do you not think so?” Ellie teases.

Without hesitation Dina grips Ellie’s offered bicep, squeezing the muscle there exaggeratingly in a way she intends to be joking but makes her feel a little flushed all the same. “Mmhmm,” Dina jokes. “The flexed bicep really makes the lines on your forearm pop.”

“I thought so,” Ellie grins. 

“Your tattoo does suit you though, I’m looking forward to seeing it finished,” Dina amends genuinely. 

“Me too, we’re thinking maybe this weekend we could do the second session, depending on my arm,” Ellie says excitedly. “Otherwise after the scouting patrol,” she adds with a small smile. “Which isn’t that far away, but I’d rather it be sooner. 

“Is the skin still sensitive?” Dina asks, moving her hand down to hover over Ellie’s tattoo. 

“A little bit,” Ellie says, smiling softly as Dina runs her hands lightly over Ellie’s arm before clasping her hand in hers. 

“Hi,” Dina says sweetly, almost gushing. 

Ellie laughs, leaning in and kissing Dina gently. 

Dina sighs into the kiss, pressing her lips harder against Ellie’s and cupping Ellie’s warm cheeks in her hands. When their tongues meet, Dina’s mind is somehow both pleasantly blank and distantly worried about how hard her heart is beating in her chest. Her breathing hitches, and when they eventually pull back she knows her face would look as flushed as Ellie’s. 

“Okay?” Dina asks. 

“Very much,” Ellie replies thickly. 

“You need to go to Maria’s, don’t you?” 

“I-” Ellie falters, looking very much conflicted. “I don’t think Abby believed that I was sick.”

“Of course she didn’t,” Dina laughs. “You’re an absolute mess. You should have just said that I was coming around ’cause you forgot about dinner, so you were waiting for me.”

“Do you wanna come to dinner?” Ellie asks hopefully. 

“I’m doing dinner with Talia tonight,” Dina says wryly, kissing Ellie’s cheek. “As much as I’d love to spend more time with Abby.”

“Hey,” Ellie frowns. “Abby’s being so good, she was being so polite before.”

“It genuinely seemed to pain her,” Dina laughs. 

Ellie rolls her eyes. “She’s embarrassed that she’s a dick,” she explains. “We had a good chat about things yesterday, she was waiting up for me when I got home. She said she apologised so I’m sure she’ll be back to normal soon.”

“Her normal self being an asshole?” Dina jokes, but it falls flat and she is quick to continue. “I didn’t mean that, she’s- yeah, we’ll work it out.”

“Thank you,” Ellie says genuinely. 

“I mean... anything she throws at me won’t be as bad as the coffee,” Dina grins. 

Ellie cackles in response, smacking her knees and laughing so hard she snorts. 

Dina feels enamoured at the sight. “You’re such a dweeb,” she teases. “Anyway, I’m going to head home so I’m not on the wrong side of Maria. Have you got some comics I can borrow?”

“Oh,” Ellie blinks. “You were serious about that?”

“Yes, definitely.”

\--

The following morning Dina feels giddy as she heads over to the stables, and she bites her lip to try to tamp down her excitement when she sees her name next to Ellie’s on the assignment board. She’s early and she knows it, and Jesse stands in the corner over several regional maps, watching her in amusement. 

“Good morning,” Dina says brightly. 

“Morning, Dina,” Jesse says, his smile almost faltering at her excitement. “Look, I- I don’t wanna be that person,” he says hesitantly. “And I know you two aren’t together right now, but there’s a reason the rule of thumb is usually to not let couples patrol together.” 

“We’re both capable, the region is fairly secure, and the trouble you had on Hoback Pass is nowhere near the Creek Trails,” Dina points out evenly. “Are you having a matchmaker crisis of confidence?”

Jesse huffs. “I don’t want you to get into trouble because you’re too busy looking at her,” he grumbles. “And then it’s my fault.”

“If I was that dumb, it would be my fault,” Dina says, walking over to hug him. “Come on, cheer up, you’re helping me out here as penance for sticking me with Cat.”

He hugs her back as she mentions Cat, dropping her chin on top of her head. “I’m still sorry for bailing on the watch shifts,” he says quietly. “How awful was she?”

Dina opens her mouth to answer when the sound of a wolf whistle interrupts her. She turns to see a grinning Ellie entering the stable, Abby by her side.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Cat,” Dina tells her, as Ellie wiggles her eyebrows playfully. 

“Or you haven’t been spending enough time with her,” Ellie replies. 

“I’ve definitely spent enough time with her,” Dina groans, shoving Jesse as he winces beside her. 

“Good morning,” Jesse says politely, tipping his head to them both. “You’re on with Mitchell today, Abby, who should be here soon. And Ellie, you’re with Dina.” 

“Awesome,” Ellie says, flashing a bright smile at Dina. 

Dina only sees it peripherally, too busy looking at Abby standing awkwardly at the entrance, scuffing her shoe on the ground. “That cool with you?” Dina asks. 

“Yes,” Abby says quickly, only glancing up briefly to offer a small bashful smile. 

Dina nods, looking at her appraisingly. “Alright,” she says, clapping Jesse on the back. “We’ll see you both later on. Let’s grab the horses, Ell.” 

“Hi,” Ellie whispers, as they walk over to the horses to take the reins from Mateo who was on duty today. 

“Hi to you too, Ellie,” Dina laughs. “Keen for today?”

Ellie nods, a light blush on her cheeks, and she seems a little stuck between looking at Dina and looking toward the gates. 

\--

Dina watches Ellie cautiously as they exit the gates, prepared to see her tense like Abby had, but Ellie’s shoulders remain relaxed. Ellie’s eyes aren’t as critical as Abby’s were but they are wary and in constant motion, checking the treeline. 

“Have you done the Creek Trails yet?” Dina asks. 

“Nope,” Ellie answers. “Checked over the maps though, seems pretty straightforward. You do it often?”

“It’s my normal route,” Dina says. “We tend to swap around, don’t want to be entirely unfamiliar with something, but it's best to have people be familiar with a territory so it's easier to identify when something is off.”

“That makes sense,” Ellie nods. “Maria said last night she wants me and Abby on northern patrols this week ahead of next week.”

“You’re definitely coming?”

“Last night was promising, so as long as Tommy still agrees after Sunday then yes,” Ellie nods. 

Dina’s confused for a moment before she remembers the training day Ellie had mentioned. “You’ll be right, it’s straightforward, common sense stuff,” Dina offers. “Probably very similar to whatever they made you run through before your first patrol.” 

“Yeah, he said it was like re-checking things and running through grappling exercises,” Ellie replies. “So shouldn’t be anything new from the Fireflies stuff.”

“Well,” Dina says, biting her lip. “If you feel like you need practice, let me know.”

Ellie raises an eyebrow. “Is that a legitimate offer? You gonna practice wrestling with me?” she asks playfully. 

“As long as you ask politely,” Dina says flirtatiously. “I’ll pin you any day.” 

Ellie seems stunned, a little pink in the cheeks, and scoffs to play it off. 

“Cat got your tongue?”

Ellie grins. “I thought I told you before, I didn’t like Cat that way.” 

\--

Dina’s excitement at showing Ellie her favourite part of the patrol, the upstairs view from the first lookout, is almost undermined by Ellie’s reaction. She’s quiet, eyes wide taking in the view, and Dina hovers restlessly beside her, waiting for her to speak. 

“I can see why this is your favourite route,” Ellie eventually says, leaning on the railing and breathing in the fresh air deeply. “It’s definitely my favourite patrol,” she flirts. 

Dina bumps her shoulder against Ellie’s and they smile at each other knowingly. 

“Seriously though, I’m-” Ellie sighs. “This is so _great_ ,” she says sincerely, and Dina can tell from her tone she’s speaking about much more than the view. 

Dina presses a kiss to her shoulder, watching Ellie’s hands flex on the rail restlessly. 

“I’m so happy I’m in Jackson, and I’m here, and this is-” Ellie rolls her shoulders, pressing closer to Dina’s side. “I’m happy I’m here.”

“I’m happy you’re here too,” Dina says sweetly. 

Ellie waits a beat almost shyly, and when Dina finally turns to leave she looks back and finds Ellie taking out her journal from her bag. She leaves her to draw in peace, and Ellie finds her with the horses not long after. 

\--

“So I finished that book from the library,” Ellie says, as they wander through the abandoned houses after the second lookout. 

“The book?”

“The really old one that didn’t look old,” Ellie grins, standing on her toes to try to look into the torn open second story of the home in front of her. “You know, _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_?”

“Ah yes, the two hundred year old book that was in remarkably good condition,” Dina laughs, watching in amusement as Ellie climbs onto the front of the car and up into the room. “I’m not sure you’ll find anything interesting up there.”

“You never know,” Ellie calls back. 

She disappears for a moment, not that long but long enough for Dina to sigh and climb up after her. “Find anything?”

Ellie’s pouting in disappointment at the bookshelf in the room. “Bunch of cool comics that are super waterlogged,” she laments. “Look at this,” she says, pulling out a slab of congealed comics, the front cover a distorted image of an astronaut. “This could have been so cool.” 

“Yeah, I’ve been talking to Maria for ages about trying to fleece more shit from the houses,” Dina says. “Things just get fucked when they’re exposed to the elements, but most of the time it's a little bit too late.” 

“Good to check, though,” Ellie says, dropping the comics with a displeased look.

“How about this?” Dina says, turning back to her with a small faded superhero trading card. “This is your kind of thing, right?”

“This is a treasure,” Ellie smiles excitedly, taking the proffered trading card carefully. “I have a bunch at home from Joel, he always picks them up for me when he finds them.”

“That’s sweet of him.”

“It’s basically how I got most of the comics I have,” Ellie explains as they head back to the street. “I got so excited on the first patrol, it was dumb but kinda cool to find a card for myself, you know?”

“I’ll keep an eye out for you,” Dina grins. “Anyway, what did you think of my book?”

“It was really good,” Ellie replies. “It’s like an odd kind of science fiction I’ve never read before-”

“Because it was so old?”

“I mean… it was really interesting because it was written forever ago, I think,” Ellie laughs. “Like the science in it was pretty cool. Did he write any others?”

“Yeah, a bunch,” Dina smiles. “There’s one about travelling around the world in eighty days, another about going to the centre of the Earth-”

“How on _Earth_ would they be able to do that?” Ellie tries to interject.

Dina rolls her eyes at the pun. “Oh, actually,” she says excitedly, ignoring Ellie’s joke as they return to the horse. “You know which one you’d love?”

“Which one?”

“I’m refusing to give spoilers, but it’s called _From the Earth to the Moon_.”

“I mean… without spoilers, can I make a guess?” Ellie asks. 

“Mmm?”

“Do they go from the Earth to the Moon?”

“Shush, you’ll love it,” Dina says. _She’s gonna lose her mind when she finds out about the cannon they make to shoot people to the Moon_ , she thinks to herself. 

\--

They end up running into trouble not long after the final checkpoint. Ellie notices it before Dina does. She’s riding slightly ahead and slows to a stop, holding an arm out to Dina to stop as well. 

Dina tilts her head questioningly, falling silent. 

Ellie takes her gun out from her thigh holster, efficiently twisting on a homemade silencer from the side pocket of her bag, her eyes fixed on a point in the middle distance. Dina follows her line of sight, finding several runners wandering on the road 150 metres ahead. 

_Not that many,_ Dina thinks as she unholsters her gun. _Need to get closer for a good shot._ She’s about to convey this to Ellie when the other girl lifts her gun, a second hand under the stock to steady it, and quickly dispatching three shots with minute adjustments. 

Each one must land, the third runner dropping almost at the same time as the first. 

It’s quiet and effective, and they’re too far away to hear the actual thud of their bodies on the ground. 

_Holy fuck,_ Dina thinks, assessing Ellie with wide eyes. 

Ellie lowers her gun slightly, dropping a hand to the reins to guide the horse forward slowly. Her head is in constant motion, looking for further threats. 

Dina follows her slowly, making sure to check behind them as she does so. It's only when they get close that Dina realises two of the shots were in the head and the third in the throat, and she looks over at Ellie appraisingly. 

Ellie lets the silence sit around them for a full moment before she turns to Dina. “Sorry, what were you say-” 

Dina hears a low groan, her head twisting to see a fourth runner crawling from under a car beside them. Her hand is just lifting when she sees its brain splatter on the pavement, glancing quickly back to see Ellie with her guard raised again, finger hovering right above the trigger. 

“Good?” Ellie asks quietly. 

“Yes,” Dina nods faintly. “Need to circle back to amend this in the log though, so it’s captured for the next patrol.” 

Ellie hums. “Get your rifle,” she instructs as she gets off her horse. She twists the now useless silencer off her pistol, dropping it absently on the ground as she climbs onto the car and turns slowly in a circle. 

Dina does as she instructs, dropping from her horse and taking the rifle off her shoulder. She holds the reins of the horses as she watches Ellie nod to her and fire a warning shot in the air. The sound is loud but as familiar as the following faint ringing in Dina’s ears. 

Dina doesn’t need to settle the horses, both having easy temperaments, and drops the reins quickly to shoulder the rifle and scan their surroundings. They’re still for a solid five minutes before they look back to each other and nod. 

“Yeah, let’s head back,” Ellie agrees. 

It's easy for Dina to keep her eyes focused, but her mind lingers on Ellie’s reaction, on how impressive her aim and reflexes were. She feels slightly awed by how efficiently and calmly Ellie took care of it. 

“What?” Ellie asks at the logbook as Dina makes her amendments. 

“Huh?” 

“You’re looking at me funny.” 

Dina shrugs. “I’m just impressed,” she smirks. 

She expects Ellie to brag or say something playful back but Ellie just smiles awkwardly and offers nothing. 

“For someone new to patrol, or for anyone in general, you’re an amazing shot,” Dina says sincerely.

Ellie scuffs her shoe on the ground, dropping her eyes as though she’s embarrassed. Dina’s reminded of Abby with her actions. “Yeah, well,” Ellie mutters, kicking at the ground absently. “You spend a lot of time doing target practice when you can’t do much else.” 

“You’ve got some skills,” Dina grins. “Let me be impressed with your reflexes.”

Ellie flushes a light pink and Dina decides to drop the subject. 

\--

She doesn’t drop it for long, however, her mind flipping it over repeatedly as they approach Jackson. 

“Is Abby a good shot at well?” Dina asks, trying to find a more diplomatic way to bring it back up than the _holy fuck, that was so hot and so impressive_ , that loops through her head. She’s been working with capable fighters for a long time, surrounded by hardened and resilient people, but she feels dumbstruck by Ellie in a way that makes her feel a little off-kilter. 

“Abby wishes,” Ellie grins. 

“Huh,” Dina says quietly.

“She’s more of a physical fighter,” Ellie continues. “She’s smart and cautious, but she always wants to get in there and use her fists.” 

“You two would be brutal together, I imagine,” Dina grins. 

“Honestly, I think that’s part of why Abby’s been pushing for the scouting patrol,” Ellie says. “I think she wants us to be able to do a patrol together and knows we won’t be able for a bit because we’d be too unfamiliar with the terrain.” 

“What do you think the other part is?” 

“She was suffocated by the Fireflies as much as I was,” Ellie says, her nose wrinkling in distaste. 

“Isn’t she one of them?” Dina asks curiously. 

“Her Dad is like this really amazing surgeon, he was one of the people who did most of the work with the cure,” Ellie explains. “He and Marlene, the one I mentioned the other day, they- it was their idea to pair us up.” 

“Pair you up?” Dina mutters. “Abby said she was, like, babysitting you?”

“It was kinda like… here is one teenage girl and here is another,” Ellie says, rolling her eyes. “Abby wanted to get out there, work like her friends were doing, and she just got stuck with me. It’s why she didn’t like me for ages.”

“So she didn’t get out much either?” Dina asks with a frown. 

“She’s basically been living in the library or the gym, taking any scrap of real work she can get for ages,” Ellie says sadly. “I kind of feel like I got in the way of her doing something real.” 

“I get having a bodyguard while they were working out the cure, but once they had it figured out - why wouldn’t they give her something to do? Or at least have other people watching you?” 

“I don’t think her Dad wanted her to do anything dangerous,” Ellie says quietly. “She got lumped with babysitting, and then had her lack of experience thrown back in her face when she would request to go on missions or patrols.” 

“Is that why she agreed to come with you to Jackson?” Dina asks. “And why she said it's temporary?” 

Ellie shifts uncomfortably in her seat. “Yeah,” she says softly. “If they give her proper work, she’ll go back. I- I wouldn’t want her to leave but I can understand it… it’s this whole thing between her and her Dad.” 

“And let me guess, she works out when she gets stressed?” Dina jokes, trying to lighten the mood. 

“She’s fucking brilliant in every way, pushed herself for ages to be the perfect soldier,” Ellie sighs. “He just won’t give her the room to be anything but _his kid_.” 

“I’m glad she’s here,” Dina says genuinely. “You can both contribute to something, do work and be appreciated for it.” 

“Actually be part of a community,” Ellie murmurs, lifting her eyes to meet Dina’s and offering her a small smile. 

“You’re home now,” Dina says brightly. “We’re lucky to have you,” she continues. “And Abby as well.”

Ellie’s smile widens, murmuring a grateful thank you in response. “Maybe we’re the lucky ones,” she adds quietly.

\-- 

They debrief with Tommy when they get back, noting the runners down on the map per protocol, before splitting up to go home and shower. 

“Burgers in an hour?” Dina asks her before they part. 

Ellie rolls her eyes but agrees nonetheless. 

“What? It’s my post-patrol ritual,” Dina says playfully. 

“I think you go on enough days without a patrol that you should really just be calling it a bad habit,” Ellie teases. 

Dina ignores her. 

\--

They get a solid ten minutes alone, playing footsie below the table and smiling across from each other tiredly, before they’re interrupted. 

They can see it coming, Cat and Abby entering the diner and spotting them. Abby breaks off to head toward the bar, and Cat approaches them with a smirk. 

“Here we go,” Dina mutters to herself. 

“Hi babes, I’ve missed you both so much,” Cat says cheerily as she slides into the booth next to Ellie. 

“Cat,” Dina says diplomatically, dipping her head. 

“Hi Cat,” Ellie replies. “How was your day?”

“My day is a lot better now with you in it,” Cat says with a smirk. 

“Cat, this isn’t gonna get a rise out of me anymore,” Dina points out. “What are you playing at?”

“I’m not doing shit, look at her face,” Cat says, pinching a laughing Ellie’s cheek and wiggling it. 

“Look at your cheeks,” Ellie laughs, pinching one of Cat’s cheeks back jokingly. 

It’s at that moment that Abby chooses to return from the bar with a round of drinks, frowning a little in confusion as she approaches. She places the drinks on the table, moving one specifically toward Dina with a small nod. She slides into the booth beside Dina, gesturing toward the two idiots still holding each other’s faces and asking, “Has there been a new development or something?”

“What do you mean?” Dina asks. 

“These two together now?” Abby asks. 

“Uh, no,” Dina says quietly, her mind stalling on not being suspicious. 

“But maybe one day,” Cat says, sighing dramatically and pulling Ellie’s face closer to kiss her cheek. 

“Ugh,” Ellie groans, pushing Cat away and wiping at her cheek. “How did you manage to make it that wet?”

“It’s a talent,” Cat smirks.

“No, it’s not,” Dina rolls her eyes. 

“Now that Ellie and I are making some progress,” Cat says, a warning smirk clearly in place. “You and Abby need to get a move on, Dina. This whole enemies to lovers thing is getting old.”

Abby scowls in response, gulping down half of her drink.

“Please stop,” Dina groans.

“You’re like the weirdest person I know,” Abby tells her, rubbing her eyes tiredly and sharing a look with Dina. 

“Thank you, darling,” Cat says, reaching across the table to pat Abby’s hand. “Isn’t she just the sweetest, Dina?” Cat adds sarcastically, grinning at Dina. 

_What the fuck is she doing?_ Dina thinks, watching Cat closely. 

“Why do I hang out with you again?” Abby asks. 

“Because you’re deeply and madly in love with me?” Cat suggests playfully. 

Abby’s frown deepens. “Yes, I’m sure that’s it,” she says sarcastically. 

Rachel comes over from the bar, her apron missing and an eager smile on her lips. “Figured I’d cut the shift short,” she says to Abby, nodding to the others. “You ready to go?” She asks Abby. 

“Definitely,” Abby grins, tipping back the rest of her drink and taking Rachel’s hand. “Have a good one,” she calls back to them as she leaves.

“We’ll miss you,” Cat yells after her. Cat’s shoulders stay relaxed but Dina can see her clenching her jaw after she falls silent. 

Dina hides her smile in her next sip, and when Cat finally turns back to her she raises an eyebrow. 

“What?” Cat asks flatly. 

“You’re doing a really bad job at flirting with her,” Dina says pointedly. 

“I’m not trying to flirt with her,” Cat huffs. “Like I said, I’m in no rush.”

“Well that’s good because you certainly aren’t getting anywhere,” Dina fires back quickly. 

Cat’s jaw drops in such a way that Dina knows Cat is exaggerating.

“Dude, that had to hurt,” Ellie laughs. 

“You know,” Cat starts slowly. “I’m not enjoying confident Dina. Ellie, what do you say we make out a bit? Make Dina feel like she needs to work for the attention again?”

“I think I’m good on that front,” Ellie grins, sipping her beer and smiling cheekily at Dina. Dina smiles when she feels one of Ellie’s feet kicking idly against hers.

“Wow, shunned from all sides,” Cat sighs dramatically. “All of you are assholes.”

“You’re one to talk,” Dina scoffs. “Should I be pretending to like Abby to try to hurry you along like you did with Ellie?”

“It wouldn’t do any good,” Ellie interjects. “There’s already plenty of people flirting with Abby in front of her.”

“Seriously, Cat,” Dina laughs. “You can’t really say shit about me when you’re doing such a piss-poor job.”

Cat huffs. “Ellie, I thought we were friends with benefits,” she says, knocking her shoulder against Ellie’s and Dina ignores Cat’s grin when she sees the way her hand tightens on her glass. “You can’t desert me in my time of need, and just leave me defensive against your girlfriend’s attacks,” Cat continues. 

Ellie turns a little pink at the word ‘girlfriend’, looking to Dina for direction. 

Dina considers Cat for a moment, deciding to give her a pass. “Friends with benefits?” Dina smirks, playing along. “What exactly were the benefits in your friendship?”

“Mutual respect, a sense of camaraderie,” Cat says, looking almost imperceptibly more relaxed and counting off her fingers. “Having each other’s back, inside jokes-”

“Ah yes, the benefits of most fucking friendships,” Dina laughs.

“Exactly,” Cat agrees emphatically, slamming her hands on the table. “In my time of need and you’re deserting me.” 

Dina smiles. “You should have seen how she took out the runners today,” Dina offers as a change of topic. “It was just as merciless.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lskfdgadfjhgkafjhk hehe ;) 
> 
> If you wanna yell at me, my tumblr user: @respectablesentiment  
> If you wanna yell with me, my twitch: @grumblebum1


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I’m sorry I disappeared, life was a lot. Thank you for taking the time to read the fic, I hope you enjoy the update. 
> 
> To anyone who has previously commented, I think I've responded to everyone now. Apologies for always being so slack on replying, I appreciate every comment I received. Genuinely they are lovely and so are you. Sometimes I get a little awkward and then procrastinate and then its been a month and I feel like I can't respond until I have something to offer. Gonna keep working on that!
> 
> As a recap, in the previous chapter Dina finds out Cat likes Abby on their watchtower shift, Dina and Ellie go on a patrol, and then they hang out at the diner with Cat and Abby.
> 
> Gracefully beta'd once again by my gf.

Dina’s in much higher spirits when she heads to her second watch shift with Cat the following morning. She feels well rested, relaxed and ready for a three day weekend before the scouting patrol the following Monday. 

Dina is first to arrive this time, nodding to Laura and Scott but knowing them too well to attempt small talk when they’re wrapping up a night shift. 

“If you both wanna go home early, it’s fine by me,” she offers, as she takes Scott’s seat. 

“It’s cool,” Laura murmurs. “I got it.”

Dina leaves it at that and Cat appears not long after. 

“Aww, you left me the scenic seat,” Cat jokes as she moves Laura’s chair to the back end of the platform, twisting it to face out toward the farmland. 

“Ellie’s on a patrol,” Dina shrugs. “I’ve got nothing to look at.” 

“Interesting choice for today,” Cat says, gesturing to the comic already in Dina’s hands. 

“I’m trying them out,” Dina says noncommittally, ignoring Cat’s knowing smile. 

\--

The comics she brought are finished sooner than Dina would like and she regrets not bringing more. There’s a book tucked in her bag but she doesn’t feel up for starting something new; instead she slumps against the railing, her chin resting on the timber, and surveys the familiar trees in the distance. 

Her mind wanders and inevitably loops back to the silent Cat behind her. _In no rush,_ Cat had said, and then the topic had somehow changed to Ellie instead of Abby. She had said something along the same lines at the diner the previous night before distracting them again, and Dina had willingly gone along with it. 

She glances back to Cat thoughtfully, the other girl still engrossed in her book.

Cat raises an eyebrow when she notices. 

“Can I ask you a question and you give me an honest answer?” Dina asks. 

Cat smiles in amusement, closing her book and gesturing for Dina to continue. 

“You said you’re interested in Abby and you were in no rush,” Dina says slowly. “I’ve never seen you do that before, you’re- you know, you’re _you_. You’re an open book and you make it known when you want to hook up with someone.”

“Is there a question there?” Cat asks bluntly. 

“You’re not normally one for patience,” Dina continues. “So why aren’t you actually trying? Why torture yourself with waiting?” 

“Ugh, I know,” Cat groans exaggeratedly, stretching her legs out and adjusting them where they sit on the railing. “It’s been killing me.”

“Then what are you doing?” 

“Look,” Cat says plainly. “Abby is…” She huffs. “She’s basically sleeping with half of the town’s eligible population.”

Dina nods. _Not news, but continue,_ she thinks. 

“I don’t want to get in the way of that,” Cat shrugs. “She can have her fun in the sun, have her cake and eat it too.”

“I don’t think that’s how that expression normally goes,” Dina points out. 

“I’m gonna wait a bit until she gets it out of her system, and then I’ll throw my hat in the ring to wife her up,” Cat laughs. 

“ _Wife_ her up?” Dina asks in surprise, “Since when are you one for a relationship?”

Cat smiles; she seems to be making a decision, looking at Dina critically as though wondering if she can trust her. She appears to make a choice, stretching out her hand, palm up toward Dina. “See this tattoo, on my wrist?” 

Dina leans forward to read it, three lines of poetry in bold script. 

_Someone will remember us_

_I say_

_Even in another time_

“Mm?” 

“It’s from a poem, from a very old Greek poet,” Cat says softly, more serious than Dina had seen her in a long time. “Sappho... she loved women too.” She takes a shuddering breath, shrugging as if to lessen the emotion in her voice. “I’d never _seen_ myself in something before I read her work.”

Dina nods, smiling reassuringly. 

“She meant this is a very different way, very long ago in basically a different world, but it says so much, means so much to me, here and now, and I _remember_ her, you know?” Cat says, frowning slightly; she slouches again in her seat, turning back to look out at the fields. “In another time,” she mumbles. 

Dina is close to asking a question when Cat turns back to her. 

“Have you heard of Sappho?” Cat asks. 

“I haven’t,” Dina says quietly. 

“I don’t know anyone who has... and for the longest time it felt too personal to share. Abby noticed it when I cut her hair the first time,” Cat says softly. Dina can’t see from this angle but she knows she’s looking at Abby in the distance. “Took one look and read it to me,” she grins, brightening slightly. “Had the fucking audacity to look me in the eyes and say it.”

“How dare she?” Dina offers with a small laugh. 

“And right off the cuff,” Cat grumbles. “She says that her _favourite_ lines were ‘and her light / stretches over the salt sea / equally and flowerdeep fields / And the beautiful dew is poured out and roses bloom and frail / chervil and flowering sweet clover.’”

“That bitch?” Dina asks awkwardly, trying to understand what response Cat was looking for. 

“That bitch,” Cat says fondly, biting her lip. She hesitates again. “Spent three weeks after that trying to argue with myself over whether her eyes were more brown or blue,” Cat laughs weakly. 

Dina frowns, trying to recall Abby’s eye colour and drawing a blank. 

“They’re hazel,” Cat says flatly. “Warm like honey around the pupil, and a brighter blue around the edges. Just that right level of hazel to be confusing at different angles, and different lights, hard to describe.” She sounds frustrated, almost bitter, as she explains. 

Dina nods, uncertain on what to contribute.

“I thought she was hot before that,” Cat acknowledges with a shrug. “Cause y’know she is, she had been in town for like three weeks, and I had fully planned on sleeping with her.”

“And then you realised you liked her,” Dina concludes. 

“Listen, don’t get me wrong,” Cat says with a soft smile, running her fingers through her hair lazily and waiting for Dina to meet her eyes. “I would do unspeakable things to that woman. _Unspeakable._ ” She shakes her head, clearly thinking hard about it. 

Dina waits an appropriate amount of time for Cat to continue her train of thought but Cat stays silent. “Sorry, what was your-” Dina starts to ask. 

“Unspeakable, Dina,” Cat repeats. 

“Yes, Cat,” Dina nods politely. “I hear you.”

“But I would just,” Cat groans, dropping her head into her hands and rubbing her eyes. “I’d fucking kill to just kiss her,” she mutters, the words muffled slightly by her hands. 

Dina feels a little breathless at the rawness of the moment, conscious of the last kiss she had shared with Ellie, the blooming sweetness between them, the way Dina ached at times, and how dull and painful that ache must be for Cat. 

“You should talk to her about this,” Dina says quietly. “You know you’re hot shit, I’ve never seen you not confident with women.” 

“The trick is to do all the work before you care,” Cat says bluntly. “So everything’s clear and you’ve put the cards on the table before you let the doubt in.”

“Do you have doubts?”

“Not really,” Cat huffs. “I mean… kinda? I don’t know, I’m pretty sure she’d be into me if I hit on her.”

“So if that’s the case and you told Brodie you wouldn’t hold back, then why were you still flirting with Ellie? Why not just go for it?”

“I was planning on it on Sunday,” Cat says defensively. “Abby came in and she was looking like the darling that she is, and then things were tense between you two and that spiralled into you asking about Brodes…”

Dina tries to think back to the conversation, and what Abby’s response had been. 

“She’s a one and done kinda girl,” Cat mutters. 

“And you’re normally a no strings attached kinda girl,” Dina says thoughtfully. 

“But I don’t think I could be with her,” Cat sighs, her hands flex restlessly in her lap. “I don’t want to sleep with her and have it just be fun and mean nothing. And I don’t want her to get weird because she’s not looking for something and I am.”

“Cat, just back yourself,” Dina says calmly. “If you want a chance you’re going to need to put the cards on the table.”

Cat nods quietly, and she looks so subdued that Dina actually gets up and leans down to hug her. The angle is awkward and Cat doesn’t try to stand up, just wraps her arms around Dina’s waist and presses her face into Dina’s stomach, and grumbles to herself. 

“You know, you can be really-”

“Please don’t,” Cat’s muffled voice interrupts. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” 

“Okay,” Dina agrees easily, patting Cat’s head reassuringly. “Can I borrow that book again?” 

\--

“Now isn’t the time anyway,” Cat murmurs, much later in the day. “I- I meant it when I said I don’t want to get in the way of what she wants.” 

“She could want you,” Dina tells her, eyes still on the trees in front of her.

“I don’t think she’s considered me.” 

Dina glances back, finding Cat fidgeting with her hands in her lap as she stares out toward the farm.

Cat quirks her lips when she meets Dina’s gaze. “‘S okay,” she shrugs. 

Dina doesn’t push. 

\--

Dina heads over to Ellie’s in the late afternoon, after she’s certain Ellie would have returned for the day. She can hear Ellie’s laughter and Abby’s booming voice from the gate, making her smile as she approaches and knocks. 

“Open!” Ellie calls.

“I’m gonna fucking kill you,” Abby shouts as Dina pushes the door open. She watches as Abby lifts a laughing Ellie over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. 

“Whoa, what are you doing?” Dina asks.

“I’m taking out the trash,” Abby says, scowling as Ellie squirms against her. 

“Hi Dina!” Ellie says gleefully, trying to twist around to wave at her. 

“What did she do?” Dina asks in amusement. 

“Have you played this game with her?” Abby huffs, pointing toward the TV, which shows the familiar Jak X results screen. 

“Yeah?” Dina asks hesitantly. 

“Did she let you win?” Abby asks with narrowed eyes. 

“Bold of you to assume I can even play that game,” Dina smirks. 

Ellie digs her fingers into Abby’s sides, laughing as Abby spasms and her face turns red. Abby drops Ellie to the floor with a loud thud, but grabs her quickly, holding her neck with a strong arm and rubbing her head with a closed fist. 

Ellie groans, grabbing at Abby’s muscular arms and trying to wiggle out of her grasp. 

“This fucking bitch,” Abby says with a grunt. “Let’s me lead the entire fucking race,” she huffs. “Sitting on my god damn ass, and then _just_ before I win she fucking shoots me and comes first.” 

Ellie’s laughing so hard her face is bright red. “It’s so fucking good, Dina,” she gasps. “Her _face,_ every time, is just-”

“Every fucking time the game shows in slo mo replay who wins,” Abby grits, shaking Ellie a little in her arms. “And _every fucking time_ you can see my kart burnt to shit or fucking _flipping_ in the background.”

“It’s so fucking funny,” Ellie gasps out, so choked by her own laughter that she’s breathless and almost inaudible. 

Dina covers her mouth trying to hide her smile. 

“Do you want a dickhead?” Abby asks playfully, her voice rough but her smile playful. “She’s fucking free, I swear, you can take her.” Abby shoves Ellie towards Dina before huffing away and sitting back down on the couch. 

“You good?” Dina asks, helping a breathless Ellie to her feet. 

“You shoulda-” Ellie cuts herself off again with another set of laughs, a snort slipping in between them which only seems to amuse her further as she clutches Dina’s hands tightly. 

“Ugh,” Abby groans, slumping back in her seat. “The controller is fucking broken,” she grouches, throwing it to the floor with a clatter. 

“Well, it certainly would be now,” Dina grins. 

“Dude, _again?_ ” Ellie says exasperatedly, bounding over to pick up the controller and assess it. “That’s the second time you’ve done this, you gotta control those ‘anger issues’,” she adds with a cheeky grin. 

Abby gives her a warning look that makes Ellie take a couple steps back. “You gotta be less annoying,” Abby grits. 

“Did she throw it or something?” Dina asks, reaching out to take the controller from Ellie. 

“Nah, she just gripped it so tight it busted,” Ellie shrugs. “Like a fucking animal,” she hisses playfully to Abby. 

“I will literally throw you out,” Abby threatens half-heartedly. “Right now, I will.” 

Dina turns the controller over in her hands; the plastic is intact but slightly ajar as though the screws had shifted, several of the buttons are stuck down and the directional pad has shifted slightly within the case, leaving it half stuck under the plastic. She frowns as she assesses it, wiggling the joysticks slightly and trying to push at the buttons to move them back into place without success. “This is actually quite impressive,” Dina says to Abby with a wry smile. 

“I didn’t mean to do it,” Abby says, turning to stretch her legs out on the couch and block Ellie’s attempt to sit down. “I was just so focused, and then it kinda _cracked_ when we got to the end and _Ellie-_ ” she hisses to Ellie with narrowed eyes. “-fucked me over.” 

“Similar thing happen to the other one?” 

“Yep,” Ellie says cheerfully, pointing out the controller sitting on the bottom shelf of the tv stand. “And now we’re down to only one,” she says frowning as she picks up the remaining controller. “So much for multiplayer.” 

“Doesn’t matter anyway because I’m never playing that game with you again,” Abby says, crossing her arms and teasingly pointing her nose up at Ellie. 

Ellie rolls her eyes. “Kinda worth it still,” she says, smiling at Dina.”Although this means we can’t play together again,” she adds with a small pout.

“Somehow I think I’d be okay with that,” Dina remarks. 

Abby snorts as Ellie’s pout becomes more pronounced. 

There’s an awkward beat after that, Ellie looks conflicted about how to greet Dina, hands twitching at her sides. Abby seems to remember how awkward she’d been around Dina the days prior and her shoulders raise slightly with how tense she becomes. 

“How about we watch a movie?” Ellie says, her voice starting slow and then getting louder with a forced enthusiastic smile. 

“Sure,” Abby agrees, sitting up on the couch and tucking herself into the side more than necessary to make room for them to sit. “Dina, do you want to join us?” she asks awkwardly. 

“That was kinda implied, Abs,” Ellie laughs, moving closer to the TV to rifle through a box of DVDs beside it, one of the several unpacked boxes still lingering in their lounge room. 

Dina smiles at Abby, amused by her awkwardness and the sincerity underpinning her terseness. She switches her gaze to Ellie, watching as she pulls out an acceptable DVD and sets up the movie to begin. She disappears briefly as the disc loads up, going into the kitchen before returning with a joint and her lighter. 

“‘10 Things I Hate About You’,” Dina reads as the menu screen loads up. “Is this a rom-com?”

Ellie snorts, lighting up the joint and taking a long pull before offering it to Dina. “It’s- it’s Abby’s favourite,” Ellie explains, pausing to let out a puff of smoke as she speaks. 

“It’s not my _favourite_ ,” Abby murmurs, likely assuming Dina couldn’t see her smile as she smokes. 

“Oh sure,” Ellie says, rolling her eyes conspiratorially to Dina. She takes the joint back and offers it to Abby. Abby shrugs and takes it, holding it for several long moments as she takes multiple deep drags. 

Ellie rolls her eyes comically to Dina, gesturing to Abby. She plucks another joint from behind her ear, lighting it with a grin and nudging her shoulder against Dina’s. 

\--

“I’m in love with Cat,” Abby sighs moments later as the movie begins. 

Dina’s eyes widen, her head snapping around quickly to look at Abby, and she almost drops the joint in her hand. “What?”

“Kat? The main character?” Abby says, her face flushing a little when she realises Dina heard her. “She’s amazing.” 

“Oh,” Dina says, nodding as she tries to shrug it off. 

“Ugh,” Ellie groans as the guidance counselor's computer screen is shown on the screen. 

Dina only sees ‘bratwurst pulsating with desire’ as it quickly flashes away. “What- what was she writing?”

\--

The movie is oddly enjoyable. Dina finds most movies in this genre to straddle the line of acceptable escapism and frustratingly shallow. It’s difficult at times to get caught up in the small dramas of a world untouched by the infected. 

She manages to get up part way through to hunt for food, pausing to empty the half-full astray in front of them as Ellie begins to roll several more joints. Her throat and chest feel warm from the weed, perhaps partly contributing to her enjoyment of the movie.

She finds relatively little in the kitchen, several containers of leftovers in the fridge with eclectic vegetables and a dozen eggs. She warms a container of leftover rice while prepping the veggies and frying half a dozen of the eggs. It takes her a while to get things started, partially due to her unfamiliarity with the kitchen and partially due to how long she keeps her head in the fridge, enjoying the cold air. 

“Where did you go?” Abby yells from the other room a while later.

“I’m making dinner,” Dina replies.

“But you don’t live here?” Abby says, stumbling into the kitchen. “I should be doing that.”

Abby looks a little stunned at the bowl of rice offered to her, already finished. “Wha- oh, okay…” She looks at the bowl with wide eyes before sniffing it closely. “Thank you,” she says sweetly before toddling back into the lounge room without taking the fork that Dina holds out for her.

Dina laughs, making a bowl for herself and Ellie before taking the remainder of the rice off the heat. _Probably made too much_ , she thinks.

She finds Ellie draped over the couch, her back against the side Dina had been sitting and her legs across Abby’s lap. It’s only then that she notices how quiet it is. “You paused it for me?”

“Of course,” Abby says, inhaling mouthfuls of the rice with her hand.

Ellie grins at her crookedly, scratching at the side of her nose before offering the joint to Dina. “I’m okay for now,” Dina murmurs, her brain feeling pleasantly tingly as she hands a bowl to Ellie and sits down on the ground in front of the couch, her back pressed against it.

The movie resumes, and it’s only after Dina finishes her seemingly unending bowl of rice that she registers the feeling of Ellie’s hand gently stroking the back of her neck, dipping under the collar of her shirt and tracing soft circles there.

Dina hums at the feeling, her eyes flickering shut as she tries to focus on staying still; distantly she can hear an orchestra band and singing from the screen. She blinks lazily, hearing Abby’s laughter, largely squeaking and sharp inhales of air, she watches as one of the characters dances on the bleachers, attempting to avoid security guards.

She zones out for a bit, her head falling back as she attempts to look up at Ellie. Ellie looks almost serene as she finishes the joint and passes it to Dina to put in the ashtray. Ellie fingers clumsily trace Dina’s features, absently, like she doesn’t really realise she’s doing it. With her other hand Ellie begins to eat the no longer warm rice from the bowl resting on her stomach, similar to how Abby had done.

“That’s my dream threesome,” Abby says distantly.

It takes several moments for Dina to turn her head, finding the two dorky main characters on the screen in front of her in formal dress. “Really?” She asks, tilting her head as she studies them.

“Not them,” Abby giggles, the sound foreign to Dina’s ears. Dina waits and the main couple return. “Kat and Patrick,” Abby murmurs.

“Okay, yeah, I see it,” Dina laughs.

\--

“Dina, Dina, watch,” Abby says, pointing at the screen and flicking several bits of rice on the floor in front of her as she works on her third bowl of fried rice.

“Huh,” Dina says, her head popping up to watch the couple kiss at the conclusion of the film. “That’s nice, Abby,” she says, patting Abby’s shin beside her.

“Waiiiitttt…”

The shot slowly pans out, rotating as it drifts over to the roof of the school where a band plays the outro music.

“Whaaaatt?” Dina laughs. “What the fuck?”

Abby snorts between her laughter. “I know!”

Ellie does a small giggle behind her, scratching at the hair at the nape of Dina’s neck and as a result slightly pulling at her braid.

 _This is so cool_ , Dina tries to reply, not fully aware that the words didn’t escape her. The camera pans around the band and the school buildings as the credits roll, eventually shifting into bloopers and then another set of credits.

The slow scroll of the credits puts Dina in a daze.

It takes a while for her to notice that they’ve ended, and the screen has reverted back to the menu, the various characters standing on an ascending list of numbers.

“What do the numbers even mean?” Ellie says softly, her voice right behind Dina’s ear as she had slowly slumped down on the couch to be fully reclined, her legs over Abby’s lap and feet hanging over the other arm.

Dina blinks, slowly processing her question. “I- I think they are for the 10 Things?”

“What 10 things?”

“The- the movie?” Dina says, flinging a hand forward to gesture at the screen.

“Ohhh,” Ellie laughs to herself. “That’s so smart, you’re _so_ smart.”

Dina grins.

“So smart, and so beautiful,” Ellie says, trying to nuzzle into Dina’s shoulder.

Dina smiles, before – _wait, fuck._ She whips her head around, making the room spin around her to catch up, to check on Abby. Abby’s chin is on her chest, her eyes closed, fast asleep. _Thank God._

“So beautiful,” Ellie murmurs again, pressing a kiss to Dina’s shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

Dina hums, taking a moment to think. “I am gone, and my butt hurts.” She laughs at herself before pulling herself up with the coffee table and trying to stretch her legs. “I am very fuzzy,” she grins.

“Me too,” Ellie smiles, her eyes crinkling. “Jus’ one more,” Ellie says cheekily, reaching for the last joint rolled on the coffee table. The table had moved slightly out of reach, a result of Dina pushing it forward to sit and Ellie rolls off the couch and onto the floor before she realises.

“Ooft,” Ellie says, moreso a remark than a reaction.

Dina smiles. “You’re such a dweeb,” she laughs, taking the joint and lighting it. “Abby’s out for the count,” she adds. “Didn’t even flinch at the noise.”

“’Cause I’m so graceful,” Ellie huffs, pulling herself up and crowded Dina’s space to retrieve the joint.

“Is that so?” Dina teases, blowing smoke into Ellie’s face. Ellie kisses her, her hands sliding down Dina’s arms, one hand entwining with hers and the other stealing the joint.

“That is so,” Ellie smiles as she pulls back, taking a long drag before slowly ascending the stairs.

“Where are you going?”

“Come on,” Ellie says distantly.

Dina stumbles after her. She finds her at the room to the right at the top of the stairs, clearly Ellie’s room by the number of posters and drawings tacked to the walls. Dina grins as she takes it in, the rumpled dark sheets on the bed, the overflowing linen basket in the corner, the lava lamp on her bedside table, a walkman sitting on top of a stack of comics beside it, and a guitar in the corner.

“You play guitar?” Dina asks, grinning as she focuses on it. It’s a dark brown in colour, a blooming golden hue in the middle, with white edging and what looks to be a familiar moth at the head of the fretboard.

“Maybe?” Ellie offers with a cheeky smile. She’s laying on the bed, propping up slightly on her elbows with the joint resting between her lips.

Dina grins, moving closer to Ellie and straddling her lap. “Is that your final answer?”

“Perhaps,” Ellie whispers, holding out the joint for Dina to take. 

Dina takes a long drag and smirks down at a dazed Ellie. “You gonna play a song for me?”

Ellie’s hands settle on Dina’s thighs. “Is that really what you want me to be doing right now?”

“Yeah,” Dina smirks. “It is.”

“Really?” Ellie rubs the outside of Dina’s thighs. 

Dina grins, leaning down and almost against Ellie’s lips, she murmurs, “Do you sing too?”

Ellie groans, and Dina hops up quickly to grab the guitar, handing Ellie back the joint as she does so. “You suck,” Ellie says as she watches her. 

Dina brings the guitar back, holding out for Ellie to take and ignoring her resigned glare until she does so. She sits cross legged at the end of the bed, smiling expectantly. 

Ellie’s fingers are a little uncoordinated on the strings due to her current state, and she hums more than sings, but it sounds absolutely lovely and Dina doesn’t want her to stop. So much so that when Ellie pauses for too long, Dina boos at her. 

“Seriously?” Ellie huffs, running a hand haphazardly through her hair and mussing it up further. 

“Keep going,” Dina insists, smacking her knees for emphasis.

“Not if you don’t like it,” Ellie laughs.

“I really like it,” Dina says earnestly.

Ellie gives her a hesitant look.

“I do, it’s lovely, I promise,” Dina says sincerely.

Ellie softens, her embarrassment fading. She shrugs. “Well, okay then,” she says softly before resuming her playing. It takes her at least a solid minute before she begins to sing again, and it’s still very soft, closer to words this time but Dina can only focus on the honey of her voice. 

_So lovely,_ Dina thinks, shifting forward to lean over and put the now finished joint on the bedside table. She feels a little dizzy as she does so, the world rushing the tiniest bit faster than it should around her head, she laughs, before flopping on her back beside Ellie.

Ellie pauses, but resumes following Dina’s low groan of protest. “Alright, alright,” Ellie laughs.

\--

Dina feels like she’s waking up without having fallen asleep when Ellie pulls back the covers under Dina. She wiggles with the movement, attempting to be helpful but probably just getting in the way.

Eventually Ellie succeeds and pulls the sheets back up and over Dina. “Do you need pyjamas?” Ellie whispers.

Dina giggles. “Nuh,” she grins. “Just you.”

“I-“ Ellie flushes. “I was gonna sleep on the couch.”

“Abby’s on the couch,” Dina murmurs, pulling Ellie’s arms forward until the other girl topples onto her. “Sleep with me.”

Ellie laughs into Dina’s neck, and Dina hums at the feeling. “How fucked are you?”

“I am pleasantly myself.”

“What-“ Ellie shifts slightly, trying to raise herself up. “What does that even mean?”

Dina kisses her, sweetly and slowly. “Please lie down with me.”

Ellie kisses her cheek, blowing a raspberry there that makes Dina shriek and shove her away. “If you insist,” Ellie laughs, pulling away to get changed.

Dina’s mind is fuzzy enough that she lets herself follow Ellie with her eyes. Watching the muscles in her back ripple appreciatively as Ellie pulls her shirt off, leaving her in another thin singlet, and she swaps her jeans for a pair of cotton shorts. _That’s a good butt._

“You need PJs?” Ellie asks, turning to look back at a flushed Dina. “You good? … Perv.”

“I am so good,” Dina slurs. “Your butt is so good, come here.”

Ellie squints at her. “PJs,” she repeats, rifling through her dresser to pull out another singlet and pair of shorts and throw them at Dina. “Get changed,” she says, before abruptly leaving.

Dina frowns, pulling herself up to change the shorts. Ellie returns as Dina finally manages to wrangle her shirt off.

Ellie chokes on her own spit at the door.

“You good?” Dina laughs at Ellie’s awestruck expression.

Ellie spins so quickly the water sloshes in the two cups she’s returned with. “I- I was gone for like 5 minutes, I waited extra!”

Dina laughs, pulling the singlet on and flopping back onto the bed. “I’m good now,” she grins, wriggling in the sheets as she pulls them back up.

“Awesome,” Ellie says, trying to hide her dopey smile.

“Left or right side?” Dina murmurs.

“I’ll take left,” Ellie grins, putting a glass of water on Dina’s bedside table before moving around to the other side. She switches off the lights leaving them in the near darkness, the moonlight streaming in through the gaps in the blinds.

Dina can only watch the shape of Ellie as she returns, feel the dip of the mattress beside her and then the warmth of Ellie’s hand finding hers.

“Hey, Freckles,” Dina whispers, shifting to her side and tugging Ellie’s hand closer, lacing their fingers together.

“Hey Dina,” Ellie says, the smile clear in her voice as she shifts closer.

Dina shuffles closer, resting her head on Ellie’s chest, her body pressed against Ellie’s side as Ellie’s arms circle Dina. The warmth of bare skin on bare skin, only the thin cotton of their singlets and shorts between them, feels amazing in her hazy state. She slides her legs against Ellie’s under the sheets absently, wriggling slightly in place as she marvels at the feeling. 

Ellie’s fingers slip under the hem of her singlet, tracing lazy circles on Dina’s lower back and making Dina’s skin tingle more than it already was. “You’re so warm,” Ellie whispers, pressing a kiss to the top of Dina’s head.

Dina groans sleepily in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends, its been a while. Life was a lot but it’s taken a really good, if exhausting, path. The gf finished her degree, got a permanent job offer and moved interstate to join me (finally!). We’ve got our own little home now, moved the two doggos down and everything. Work was very hectic but I finished the program I was in and got a promotion so it’s less so now. Things are going well and I’m hoping to get back into writing regularly and realistically without burning out again. Hoping to update monthly at least, rather than pushing too much too soon. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter, had a happy new year and are well 😊


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